LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIFT  OF 

BOARD  OF  LADY  MANAGER'S  ALAMEDA  CO.  WORLD'S  FAIR  ASSOCIATION 


Received 


OM  ,189^- 

L 


Accession  No.(pQ  Sib. 2)..-       Cla^s  No. 


AND 


PBOHIBITION. 


BY 


G.  H.  STOCKHAM,  M.  D. 


*  We  love  no  triumph-*  sprang  of  force, 
They  stain  the  brightest  eanse." 


AKLAND,  CAL.: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 
1888. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1888,  by 

G.  H.  STOOKHAM,  M.  D. 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress/at  Washington. 


ALL,  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


PACIFIC  PRESS  PUBLISHING  Co., 

PRINTERS,  ELECTROTYPERS  AND  BINDERS, 

Twelfth  and  Castro  Sts,  Oakland,  Cal. 


HAVING  been  a  contemporary  of  the  Rev.  Theobald 
Mathew  during  the  great  temperance  movement  originated 
by  him,  we  were  deeply  interested  in  his  work.  Though 
but  a  youth  at  the  time,  the  recollections  of  this  extraor- 
dinary man  are  still  vivid  in  our  mind.  We  witnessed  the 
wonderful  enthusiasm  that  attended  his  labors  in  Dublin, 
and  being  then  a  resident  of  that  city  were  present  at  many 
of  his  lectures. 

We  remained  in  Ireland  long  enough  afterwards  also  to 
witness  the  relapsing  of  the  pSo^lfi^mto  their  former  habits 
of  inebriety,  and  the  gradual  decline  of  the  temperance 
lodges. 

For  the  last  three  decades  we  have  watched  with  con- 
tinued interest  the  progress  of  the  cause  in  America,  and 
have  seen  with  regret  the  failure  of  all  license  and  pro- 
hibitory laws  to  crush  out  the  leviathan  of  intemperance. 
The  contemplation  of  this  matter  in  its  divers  bearings  on 
the  welfare  of  humanity,  led  to  our  devoting  what  time  we 
could  spare  from  professional  duties  during  the  past  few 
months  to  a  closer  study  of  the  subject.  Finding  so  much 
to  interest  and  instruct  as  we  advanced  in  our  investigations, 
we  conceived  the  plan  of  arranging  certain  facts  and  data 
into  articles  for  publication.  But  as  the  matter  grew  on  our 
hands  we  abandoned  our  first  idea  as  being  wholly  inade- 
quate to  the  setting  forth  of  a  subject  that  had  now  assumed 
enlarged  proportions  in  our  own  mind. 

If  the  result  of  this  labor  be  received  with  favor,  it  will 
be  most  gratifying ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  it  meet  ad- 
verse criticism,  and  thereby  fail  of  its  object,  we  shall  at 
least  have  the  consolation  of  having  simply  fulfilled  what,  to 
us,  seemed  a  duty. 

G.  H.  STOCKHAM. 
Oakland,  April,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGKv 

Preface 3 

I.  Origin  of  the  Temperance  Movement 7 

II.  Temperance  Societies  11 

III.  The  Origin  and  History  of  Wine 15 

IV.  The  History  and  Properties  of  Beer 19 

V.  History  and  Constituents  of  Spirituous  Liquors.     23 

VI.  The  Adulteration  of  Liquors 26 

VII.  Comparative  Effects  of  Fermented  and  Spiritu- 
ous Liquors 32 

VIII.  'Thysiological  Action  of  Alcohol 36 

IX.  Alcohol  as  Food. 44 

X.  Alcohol  as  a  Medicine  and  a  Poison 50 

XI.  Alcohol  as  a  Stimulant  and  a  Narcotic 54 

XII.  Licensing  Systems  of  Great  Britain  and  America.     57 

XIII.  American  Liquor  Laws  and  Local  Option 66 

XIV.  Sumptuary  Laws ' 73 

XV.  Prohibition 79  , 

XVI.  Causes  of  Intemperance 91 

XVII.  Remedies  Suggested  for  Intemperance 97 

XVIII.  Advantages  of  an  Increased  Production  of  Wine 

and  Beer 106 

XIX,  Alcohol  as  a  Factor  in  Human  Progress 113 

XX.  -To  Prohibitionists. .  121 


CHAPTER!. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  TEMPERANCE  MOVEMENT, 

THE  modern  temperance  movement  began  in  the 
city  of  Cork,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1838,  by  the  Rev. 
Theobald  Mathew,  commonly  called  "Father  Mathew, 
the  Apostle  of  Temperance."  The  great  moral  ref- 
ormation, principally  brought  about  by  his  instru- 
mentality, both  in  its  immediate  and  subsequent  re- 
sults, was  unexampled  in  history.  He  was  the  first 
Roman  Catholic  clergyman  who  attained  prominence 
in  Ireland  as  a  temperance  reformer.  Father  Ma- 
thew was  a  man  of  singular  purity  and  simplicity  of 
character,  with  an  utter  unselfishness  that  made  him 
dearly  beloved  by  all  the  people. 

A  few  years  prior  to  1838  he  commenced  preach- 
ing in  the  temperance  cause,  and  the  same  year 
formulated  a  pledge  which  he  urg  ed  all  nis  hearers  to 
sign.  It  ran  as  follows :  "  I  promise  to  abstain  from 
all  intoxicating  drinks,  except  those  used  medicinally, 
and  by  order  of  a  physician ;  and  to  discontinue  the 
cause  and  practice  of  intemperance." 

During  that  year,  1838,  the  roads  were  thronged 
with  people  hastening  to  declare  their  total  abandon- 
ment of  drink,  and  before  its  close,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  signatures  from  Cork  and  its  surround- 
ing country,  were  added  to  the  pledge.  The  excite- 
ment was  intense.  Good  men  of  all  denominations 
joined  his  heroic  labors.  A  great  improvement  was 


8  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

brought  about  in  general  morals,  and  in  a  stricter  OD- 
servance  of  law  and  order  in  entire  communities. 
The  police  force  had  little  to  do.  Lawyer  s  were  with- 
out briefs,  and  criminal  judges  had  few  cases  on  their 
dockets.  So  eager  were  the  converts  to  the  new  dis- 
pensation that  many  traveled  one  h  undred  miles  to 
sign  the  pledge  and  receive  the  blessing  of  the  good 
Father.  All  classes,  Catholic,  Protestant,  and  Dis- 
senter-, upheld  him  in  his  work.  It  was  estimated 
that  during  seven  or  eight  days  in  Dublin  as  many 
as  sixty  thousand  persons  joined  this  temperance 
movement ;  and  in  the  short  space  of  two  days,  one 
hundred  thousand  in  Galway  added  their  names  to 
swell  the  ranks.  By  November,  in  1844,  Father 
Mathew  had  registered  upwards  of  5,000,000  adher- 
ents of  total  abstinence  principles  in  Ireland. 

After  a  few  years'  experience,  it  was  found  advis- 
able to  alter  the  wording  of  the  pledge  to  the  follow- 
ing formula :  "  I  solemnly  promise  with  the  divine 
assistance,  as  long  as  I  continue  a  member  of  the 
*  Teetotal  Temperance  Society, '  to  abstain  from  all  in- 
toxicating drinks,  except  for  medicinal  and  sacra- 
mental purposes,  and  I  will  do  everything  in  my  power, 
by  advice  and  example,  to  discontinue  drunkenness." 
This,  it  will  be  seen,  carried  an  essentially  different 
meaning  than  was  indorsed  in  the  former  document; 
anyone  who  found  himself  unable  to  keep  the  pledge 
could  preserve  his  self-respect  by  returning  it  to  the 
society. 

The  moral  regeneration  brought  about  by  Father 
Mathew's  work  was  most  astonishing  and  gratifying 


fcft- 

THE  TEMPERANCE  MOVEMENT.  9 

to  every  philanthropic  mind.  It  continued  to  increase 
in  popularity,  and  practical  reforms  were  set  up  on 
every  hand.  Coffee  shops  took  the  place  of  whisky 
saloons  and  thrived  as  well  as  the  latter  had  formerly 
done.  The  excise  revenue  of  Ireland  was  reduced 
from  upwards  of  $5,000,000  to  less  than  half 
that  sum.  Father  Mathew  extended  his  labors  into 
England  and  the  United  States,  meeting  with  uni- 
versal appreciation  in  both  these  countries,  and  was 
hailed  by  all  classes  as  a  public  benefactor.  In  all 
the  cities  visited  he  left  behind  him  temperance 
lodges  in  a  flourishing  condition.  To  many  minds 
""the  movement  was  the  ushering  in  of  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  man.  They  believed  that  King  Alcohol 
was  dethroned  and  overpowered,  and  to  Ireland  was 
accorded  the  honor  of  being  more  temperate  than 
either  England  or  Scotland.  Statistics  showed  that 
the  sale  of  whisky  there  was  reduced  to  three- 
iburths  its  former  estimate.  The  work  progressed 
gloriously  for  some  years,  but  with  nations,  as  with  in- 
dividuals in  any  of  the  relations  of  life,  undue  excite- 
ment cannot  be  perpetuated  ad  infinitum,  but  must 
sooner  or  later  be  followed  by  a  subsequent  reaction 
or  depression.  So  it  proved  with  the  temperance  ref- 
ormation. People  became  less  vigorous  in  the  ob- 
servance of  their  pledge,  and  many  withdrew  from 
the  societies  and  gradually  fell  back  into  old  habits 
of  inebriety.  It  was  not  long  before  there  was  as 
much  intoxicating  liquor  sold  and  drunk  as  before 
the  noble  efforts  of  Father  Mathew.  This  generous 
friend  of  humanity,  assisted  by  faithful  members  of 


10  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

the  temperance  lodges,  did  all  he  could  to  stay  this 
downward  course ;  but  one  by  one  they  were  over- 
come by  the  strong  current  of  human  life  that  finally 
returned  to  its  old  channel.  Thus  ended  the  greatest 
temperance  movement  ever  inagurated,  and  though 
it  failed  in  its  object  to  permanently  rescue  the  people 
from  the  slavery  of  intoxicating  drinks,  yet  it  left  a 
lasting  influence  behind,  and  to-day  men  have  reason 
to  thank  God  for  the  existence  of  such  a  man  as  the 
Kev.  Theobald  Mathew. 

If  the  temperance  reform  did  not  cure,  it  un- 
doubtedly palliated  the  evil  it  attempted  to  subvert. 
The  cause  had  become  popular  with  all  classes, 
whether  among  the  rich  in  their  palaces,  or  the  poor  in 
their  lowly  dwellings.  It  had  been  an  almost  uni- 
versal practice  with  those  who  could  afford  it,  to  keep 
various  kinds  of  liquors  in  their  houses,  and  it  was 
considered  a  breach  of  hospitality  and  good  manners 
to  allow  a  visitor  to  go  away  without  being  invited  to 
partake  of  some  one  of  these  refreshments.  The  side- 
board was  never  without  its  arrangement  of  glasses 
and  decanters  of  carefully  selected  brands  of  wine, 
whisky  and  brandy,  which  were  served  according  to 
the  taste  of  each  guest.  During  the  excitement  this 
custom  was  discontinued,  and  it  has  never  been  re- 
newed to  any  extent  down  to  the  present  day.  The 
banishment  of  a  practice  that  extended  not  only  over 
the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
but  also  that  of  the  United  States  of  America,  was 
probably  the  greatest  good  affected  by  this  reforma- 
tion of  the  Rev,  Theobald  Mathew. 


CHAPTER  II. 


TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES. 

AFTER  a  few  years  of  inaction  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance was  revived.  Lodges  were  resuscitated  and  new 
ones  organized.  Able  men  and  women,  too,  entered 
the  lecture  field.  The  people  were  again  interested. 
The  lodges  worked  with  increased  vigor,  and  many  a 
poor  inebriate  was,  for  the  time  being,  raised  from 
the  gutter.  Much  good  was  undoubtedly  done,  but 
it  was  principally  by  individual  exertion.  The  mod- 
erate drinker  and  the  habitual  drunkard,  however, 
still  took  their  liquors.  The  efforts  of  the  most  ear- 
nest speakers  made  no  lasting  impression  on  the  pub- 
lic mind.  Still  the  work  progressed.  Temperance 
societies  continued"  to  be  established  locally  and  spas- 
modically, and  everything  possible  was  done  by  hon- 
est enthusiasts  to  stop  the  traffic  in  the  accursed  thing. 
But  the  sad  fact  remained  that  saloons  multiplied, 
and  the  average  amount  of  spirituous  liquors  sold  in 
proportion  to  the  population,  was  even  greater  than 
before.  The  receipts  of  the  tax  collector  showed  that 
the  number  of  persons  addicted  to  habits  of  intemper- 
ance, had  increased  rather  than  diminished;  that 
comparatively  few  drunkards  had  been  reclaimed, 
thus  proving  the  inherent  weakness  of  the  lodges. 
Something  wrong  in  their  very  constitution  must  ac- 
count for  this  inability  to  successfully  cope  with  this 
hydra-headed  evil,  (11) 


12  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

The  temperance  societies  commit  an  error  in  wag- 
ing war  equally  against  moderate  drinkers  and  those 
who  are  confirmed  drunkards.  The  former  enjoy 
their  glass  of  wine  or  beer  at  dinner,  or  even  a  little 
toddy,  and  do  not  admit  the  justice  of  a  law  that 
compels  them  to  sacrifice  this,  to  them,  harmless  prac- 
tice, for  the  sake  of  the  inebriate. 

When  a  pledge  is  broken  it  implies  a  want  of  honor, 
veracity,  and  firmness  of  character ;  and  a  man  who 
has  done  this,  feels  at  once  not  only  his  dishonor  in 
the  eyes  of  the  lodge,  but,  what  is  much  worse,  the 
inevitable  loss  of  his  own  self-respect.  Few  have 
the  will-power  to  keep,  for  any  length  of  time,  a 
pledge  that  is  against  inclination  and  the  sanction  of 
custom.  The  person  who  withdraws  from  the  lodge 
is  esteemed  hardly  less  blamable  than  he  who  has 
violated  the  pledgee  He  has  evinced  a  changeable- 
ness  of  opinion  that  warrants  the  conclusion  of  weak- 
ness of  character  and  general  unreliability.  He  is 
under  a  sort  of  social  ban  afterwards. 

Any  law  is  bad  in  its  tendencies  wrhen  it  interferes 
with  the  free  agency  and  moral  responsibility  of  man. 
It  is  setting  aside  the  divine  right  of  conscience  and 
reason  to  guide  and  control  the  individual  Every 
contest  of  the  soul  determines  his  spiritual  status. 
One  is  either  stronger  or  weaker  after  the  battle, 
for  this  eternal  warfare  is  but  a  necessary  devel- 
opment of  character,  a  bringing  out  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  soul.  When  a  man  voluntarily 
binds  himself  to  an  oath  he  has  surrendered  his  in- 
dividuality. He  is  no  longer  free,  for  he  is  bound  in 


TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES.  13 

the  chains  of  another's  forging.  The  question  has 
ceased  to  be  open  to  him  as  a  moral,  rational,  account- 
able being.  He  is  under  restraint  or  authority.  Af- 
ter a  season  he  begins  to  chafe  at  his  loss  of  freedom, 
and  realizes  with  impatience  that  fetters  are  not  so 
easily  broken  as  forged.  He  is  even  tempted  to  hy- 
pocrisy and  takes  his  dram  in  secret.  His  tempta- 
tion to  drink  is  rather  increased  than  diminished  by 
this  imposed  bond  to  "  touch  not,  taste  not."  He  be- 
comes daily  more  irritated  because  he  cannot  openly 
take  a  social  glass  with  his  companions,  and  feels  that 
his  business  interests  have  suffered  thereby;  it  is  not 
pleasant  to  one's  friends  to  constantly  refuse  to  drink 
with  them.  The  result  is  too  often  the  breaking  of 
his  pledge  and  a  wretched  after-feeling  of  having 
justly  lost  the  respect  of  himself  and  his  associates. 

Temperance  societies  will  be  obliged  to  go  farther 
back  than  the-individual  to  effect  a  reformation  that 
will  be  permanent  and  universal.  They  must  begin 
with  a  regeneration  of  the  laws  governing  society. 
We  generally  find  an  excuse  for  doing  what  we  most 
desire  to  do.  An  oath  or  promise,  verbal  or  written, 
does  not  quench  insatiable  thirst,  destroy  passion  or 
the  internal  desire  for  what  we  see  no  particular  harm 
in  using.  People  must  be  educated  up  to  a  law,  be- 
fore it  can  be  enforced.  The  convert  to  temperance 
societies  is  usually  gained  under  a  temporary  excite- 
ment which  implies  the  influence  of  passion.  Now, 
passion  is  always  fatal  to  principle  and  philosophy. 
Large  numbers  of  people  are  seldom  at  the  same  time 
inspired  by  principle,  and  a  universal  conversion  of  a 


TflH 


14  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

multitude  to  philosophy  is  an  impossibility.  Philoso- 
phers never  unite  in  large  bodies,.  We  must  not, 
however,  be  accused  of  doing  an  injustice  to  the 
temperance  societies,  whose  devotion,  energy,  and  use- 
fulness cannot  be  too  highly  extolled.  They  have 
undoubtedly  done,  and  are  still  doing,  a  grand  work 
with  the  young,  in  training  them  to  habits  of  temper- 
ance and  a  high  regard  for  the  interests  of  others. 
The  unanimity  of  sentiment  among  the  members  has 
been  a  strong  means  of  mutual  aid  and  support,  and 
the  rising  generation  have  reason  to  be  grateful  for 
these  societies. 

To  better  comprehend  the  main  subjects  involved 
in  this  work,  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  a  short  syn- 
opsis of  the  history  of  fermented  and  spirituous  liq- 
uors, and  their  relative  effects  on  the  human  system. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  WINE. 

THE  manufacture  of  wine  may  be  considered  as  al- 
most coeval  with  the  production  of  the  grape.  That 
the  Creator  designed  its  use  seems  as  evident  as  that 
bread  should  be  made  from  wheat.  Nor  are  we  without 
scriptural  authority  for  this  statement.  The  country 
given  over  to  the  Jews  by  divine  command  was  dis- 
tinguished by  the  productiveness  of  its  vineyards;  and 
the  wine  manufactured  therefrom  was  counted  as  one 
of  the  choicest  gifts  bestowed  on  them  by  the  Lord. 
As  a  punishment  for  disobedience,  wine  was  with- 
held from  the  people ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  an 
abundance  of  this  article  was  regarded  as  the  shadow- 
ing forth  of  a  blessing,  That  this  highly  commended 
drink  was  then  as  now  the  fermented  juice  of  the 
grape,  no  competent  judge  will  deny.  The  scriptural 
evidence  of  this  fact,  both  direct  and  indirect,  is  too 
strong  to  admit  of  disputation.  It  is  recorded  that 
God  not  only  legislated  for  the  Jews  in  things  relig- 
ious, but  also  taught  them  what  they  should  eat  and 
drink.  The  conclusion  is  unavoidable  that  if  wine 
was  once  legitimately  used,  it  should  yet  be  esteemed  a 
blessing  and  not  a  curse.  The  first  mention  in  history 
of  this  beverage  is  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. That  other  nations  beside  the  Jews  employed 
this  drink,  we  have  proof  positive.  All  races  of  men 

(15) 


16  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

inhabiting  southern  climates  converted  their  grapes 
into  wine,  and  drank  it  daily  in  sobriety  and  thank- 
fulness of  heart.  Thus  from  the  earliest  time  we  can 
trace  the  production  of  wine  down  through  the  genera- 
tions to  the  present  day.  The  cultivation  of  the  grape 
is  not  now  confined  to  narrow  strips  of  country  in 
Asia  and  Africa,  but  has  gradually  extended  through- 
out Europe  until  the  latter  country  has  by  far  the 
greatest  extent  of  vineyards  in  the  world.  The  im- 
mensity of  the  wine  industry  makes  it  difficult  to  com- 
prehend what  becomes  of  such  vast  supplies  of  this 
product.  France  stands  at  the  head  of  the  wine-pro- 
ducing countries,  and  her  output,  before  the  ravages 
of  the  phylloxera,  has  often  exceeded  2,500,000,000 
gallons,  but  later  her  average  is  estimated  to  be  about 
1,450,000,000.  Italy's  vine-clad  hills  furnish  700,- 
000,000  gallons,  while  Spain  follows  with  her  580,- 
000,000;  Austria  and  Hungary,  375,000,000;  Portu- 
gal, 132,000,000;  Germany,  100,000,000;  Russia,  53,- 
000,000,  and  Greece,  Servia,  Turkey  in  Europe  and 
the  other  European  countries,  have  an  average  of 
150,000,000  gallons.  Wine  is  also  manufactured  in 
Asiatic  Turkey,  India,  China,  Japan,  Arabia  and 
Africa,  and  in  fact  in  every  locality  where  the  climate 
and  soil  are  favorable.  Of  late  years  it  has  become 
an  important  industry  in  the  United  States,  especially 
in  California,  which  will  ultimately  rival  France  as 
the  greatest  wine-producing  country  of  the  world. 
Already  in  the  Eastern  States  and  in  Mexico,  Cali- 
fornia wines  are  displacing  those  of  France.  The  ex- 
traordinary growth  and  fruitage  of  the  vine  in  this 


ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  WINE.  17 

State  warrant  us  in  speaking  thus  confidently  of  her 
future  possibilities. 

Wines  are  generally  divided  into  two  classes :  First, 
those  containing  the  pure  juice  of  the  grape,  which 
are  called  natural  wines,  and  second,  those  which  have 
been  fortified  with  spirits.  The  pure  varieties,  after 
having  undergone  a  thorough  fermentation,  are  seldom 
liable  to  further  change.  Such  wines  are  therefore 
wholesome  and  of  good  keeping  quality.  On  the 
other  hand,  in  those  which  have  been  fortified,  fermen- 
tation has  not  been  allowed  to  run  its  regular  course, 
having  been  prematurely  checked  by  the  addition  of 
spirits.  By  this  process  its  strength  is  brought  above 
the  limit  within  which  vinous  fermentation  is  possible. 

Wines  have  two  other  divisions,  white  wines  and 
red  wines.  Certain  European  districts  produce  the 
one,  and  certain  other  districts  the  other.  It  has  been 
noticed  as  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  temperance  is  more 
prevalent  in  all  those  localities  where  white  wine  is 
produced  than  in  those  that  manufacture  the  red  vari- 
ety ;  and  yet  there  is  the  same  proportion  of  alcohol 
in  each.  So  apparent  is  this  that  some  employers  im- 
port the  red  wine  rather  than  allow  their  men  to  use 
the  white  product  of  the  country.  This  difference  is 
accounted  for  on  the  hypothesis  that  the  former  is  rich 
in  tannin,  which,  by  its  astringent  properties,  prevents 
the  rapid  absorption  of  the  liquid;  while  the  white, 
having  little  or  no  tannin,  is  quickly  carried  to  the 
brain.  There  is  also  a  theory  that  those  who  largely 
employ  the  uncolored  wine  rarely  attain  old  age. 

Owing  to  the  phylloxera  in  France,  certain  parties 


18  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

have  lately  patented  a  process  for  manufacturing  both 
varieties  of  wine  out  of  the  red  and  white  beets.  The 
liquor  obtained  therefrom  is  said  to  possess  all  the  prop- 
erties of  grape  juice  and  is  treated  similarly.  In 
England,  currant,  raspberry,  and  gooseberry  wines 
are  extensively  employed  for  domestic  purposes,  and 
are  highly  prized  as  useful  and  beneficial  adjuncts. 

The  relative  amount  of  alcohol  contained  in  wines 
is  estimated  at  from  17  to  23  per  cent  in  port,  sherry 
and  Madeira,  12 J  per  cent  in  champagne,  and  from 
7  to  11  per  cent  in  other  varieties. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  HISTORY  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  BEER. 

UNDER  this  heading  we  include  ale  and  porter, 
which,  like  beer,  is  made  from  barley  and  hops,  by  a 
process  of  fermentation  similar  to  that  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  wines.  The  brewing  of  malt  liquor 
was  known  many  hundred  years  before  the  Christian 
era.  It  was  employed  by  the  ancient  Egyptians, 
Greeks,  Komans  and  Gauls,  and  has  an  unbroken 
lineage  down  to  the  present  day.  It  was  discovered 
about  the  same  time  as  the  production  of  wine  from 
the  grape. 

Commercial  beer  is  chiefly  made  from  barley, 
which  is  first  malted  and  ground  and  its  fermentable 
substance  extracted  by  warm  water.  Afterwards  it 
is  evaporated  by  boiling,  and  hops  added  to  effect  its 
preservation.  Although  ale  and  porter  come  under 
the  general  name  of  beer,  being  equally  a  product  of 
brewing,  yet  there  is  a  difference  in  taste,  color  and 
amount  of  alcohol  contained  in  them.  Small  beer  is 
a  pleasant  drink  and  has  little  alcohol,  not  more  than 
1.28  per  cent,  while  Burton  and  Edinburgh  ales  con- 
tain from  6  to  8  per  cent.  The  German  brewers 
make  a  distinction  between  their  ale  and  beer  on  ac- 
count of  the  different  modes  of  fermentation  employed. 
In  manufacturing  the  former,  rapid  fermentation  is 
produced,  thus  causing  the  yeast  to  rise  to  the  surface ; 

(19) 


20  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

while  in  making  beer  a  slower  process  is  used,  which 
compels  the  yeast  to  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  cask. 

The  term  "  lager  bier"  is  indiscriminately  applied 
in  this  country  to  any  light  kind  of  beer  prepared  by 
this  slow  fermentation.  Much,  however,  of  this  bev- 
erage is  not  the  genuine  "  lager,"  it  not  having  lain  a 
sufficient  length  of  time  in  the  cellar  to  acquire  that 
title ;  nor  could  it  be  preserved  in  casks  during  the 
time  in  which  lager  beer  is  ripening.  This  quality  is 
known  to  the  brewers  as  draught  beer.  It  contains 
less  alcohol  than  is  found  in  genuine  lager,  and  occu- 
pies less  time  in  fermenting,  though  it  has  not  the 
keeping  properties  of  German  lager.  In  the  latter, 
after  the  liquid  has  attained  a  certain  degree  of  fer- 
mentation, it  is  drawn  off  into  large  casks  and  allowed 
to  remain  for  several  months  in  cool  cellars,  winch  are 
kept  at  a  temperature  between  40°  and  50°  Fahr.  A 
fining  process  here  continues  and  the  beer  becomes 
perfectly  transparent  and  free  from  all  fermentable 
matter.  Enormous  quantities  of  ice  are  used  in  these 
cellars  to  equalize  the  temperature. 

A  few  years  ago  a  report  was  circulated  that  strych- 
nine was  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  beer;  this  is 
an  impossibility.  It  cannot  be  introduced  into  ordi- 
nary beer,  as  hops  refuse  to  take  up  a  single  particle  of 
it,  or,  for  that  matter,  many  other  noxious  drugs  be- 
sides strychnine.  They  are  entirely  precipitated  by 
the  infusion  of  that  wholesome  herb. 

Porter  was  made  first  in  England  in  1730.  Pre- 
vious to  that  time  the  only  malt  liquors  in  Eir:1  ;  ! 
were  ale  and  !>eer.  A  portion  of  the  malt  use  1  :  ! 


THK  HISTORY  OF  BEER.  21 

porter  is  roasted  to  a  certain  degree,  .thus  giving  a 
deeper  color  to  this  liquor. 

Beer  is  the  national  drink  of  all  those  coun- 
tries that  are  too  cold  for  the  grape,  England  and 
Germany  more  especially.  In  the  former  country  it 
is  stated  that  the  capital  invested  in  this  industry 
amounts  to  $585,000,000  ;  the  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed in,  and  dependent  upon,  this  traffic,  1,500,000 ; 
the  quantity  of  liquor  brewed  in  1869,  25,542,664 
barrels,  and  the  revenue  derived  by  the  British  Gov- 
ernment, $60,000,000. 

In  1871  the  amount  of  beer  manufactured  in  Aus- 
tria and  Hungary  was  8,549,371  barrels.  The  Ger- 
man States,  including  Bavaria,  Wurtenberg  and'  Ba- 
den, produced  from  January  to  May  in  1872,  3,73^.,- 
769  barrels,  and  the  year  before  in  the  same  length  <n 
time,  Bavaria  alone  went  as  high  as  4,285,000  ba:- 
rels.  In  the  United  States  it  is  assuming  colossal  pro- 
portions; in  1879  the  amount  brewed  was  estimated 
at  7,179,760  barrels;  in  1886,  upwards  of  20,000,000 
barrels  of  thirty-one  gallons  each,  on  which  the  Gov- 
ernment tax  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $19,000,000. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  English  nation  do  not 
consume  half  as  much  beer  as  th  ey  did  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Anne.  The  average  consumption  from  1740 
to  1790,  a  period  of  fifty  years,  as  compared  with  the 
same  length  of  time  between  1821  and  1871,  is  as 
380  for  the  former  to  150  for  the  latter.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  the  introduction  of  tea  accounts  in  a  meas- 
ure for  this  decrease.  Formerly  beer  was  drunk  at 
every  meal  and  at  frequent  intervals  during  the  day. 


22  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

Now,  the  people  use  enormous  quantities  of  tea, 
averaging  about  four  pounds  per  head  per  annum. 
Beer  has  a  proportion  of  alcohol  ranging  from  1^  per 
cent  in  small  beer  to  Burton  ale,  which  averages 
about  8  per  cent. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HISTORY    AND   CONSTITUENTS    OF    SPIRITUOUS 
LIQUORS. 

UNDER  this  head  we  class  all  alcoholic  beverages 
produced  by  the  process  of  distillation.  The  art  of 
separating  alcoholic  spirit  from  fermented  liquors  ap- 
pears to  have  been  known,  as  in  the  case  of  wine  and 
beer,  from  remote  antiquity.  It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  discovered  and  practiced  by  the  Chinese,  who 
obtained  alcohol  from  rice.  From  them  a  knowledge 
of  the  art  traveled  westward.  In  the  twelfth  century, 
when  Henry  II.  invaded  and  conquered  Ireland,  the 
inhabitants  were  in  the  habit  of  making  and  using  an 
alcoholic  liquor  similar  to  the  whisky  now  drunk, 
which  they  called  "  usquabagh"  or  "  potteen." 

All  substances  in  nature  which  contain  sugar  in 
any  of  its  forms,  are  susceptible  of  vinous  fermenta- 
tion, and  consequently  may  be  considered  as  sources 
of  alcohol.  There  is  an  endless  variety  of  organic 
substances,  more  especially  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
from  which  alcohol  can  be  extracted.  Uncivilized 
races  distill  it  from  various  trees,  plants,  and  fruits 
and  also  from  milk  ;  but  however  obtained  the  spirit 
found  in  the  product  has  the  same  chemical  constitu- 
ents. The  spirituous  liquors  most  commonly  manu- 
factured in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  are  brandy, 
rum  and  whisky.  Genuine  brandy  in  France  is 

(23) 


24  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

made  from  wine.  Ruin,  which  is  produced  from  mo- 
lasses or  treacle,  is  principally  distilled  in  the  West 
Indies;  while  whisky,  in  America  and  the  British 
Isles,  is  manufactured  from  fermented  infusions  of 
grain.  By  adding  the  necessary  flavoring  ingredients 
to  whisky,  gin  is  made.  In  France,  Germany,  and 
Russia,  what  is  termed  "  potato  spirit/'  is  extensively 
prepared  from  the  tuber  from  which  it  derives  its 
name,  and  is  much  used  for  .fortifying  wines. 

The  Irish  brands  of  whisky  are  made  almost  ex- 
clusively from  barley.  Varieties  of  brandy  are  pro- 
duced from  different  fruits,  and  owe  to  them  their  dis- 
tinctive flavor  and  names,  being  familiarly  known  as 
"  peach  brandy,"  "  apple  brandy,"  etc. 

Most  ardent  spirits  contain  fusil  oil,  which  gives  them 
a  burning  taste.  It  is  found  in  nearly  all  whiskies, 
particularly  in  those  made  from  Indian  corn  and  po- 
tatoes. This  oil  unites  with  alcohol  in  all  propor- 
tions, but  has  little  affinity  for  water,  for  which  rea- 
son it  cannot  be  diluted.  Fusil  oil  acts  upon  the 
coating  of  the  stomach  as  an  irritant  poison,  and  is  the 
principal  cause  of  that  dreadful  disease,  mania  apotn, 
or  delirium  tremens.  It  may  be  detected  by  agitating 
the  liquor  with  water  and  leaving  it  to  stand  for  the 
oil  to  rise  to  the  surface. 

Ne,w  spirits  are  not  fit  for  internal  use,  and  should 
not  be  placed  upon  the  market  until  their  constituent 
elements  are  thoroughly  combined  by  age,  and  the 
fusil  oil  has  had  time  to  be  more  or  less  eliminated. 
For  the  purpose  of  producing  a  kind  of  artificial  age 
various  contrivances  have  been  adopted  in  this  and 


HISTORY  OF  SPIRITUOUS  LKJIOKS.  25 

foreign  countries.  A  variety  of  compounds  are  used 
to  accomplish  this  result,  which  have  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent been  successful. 

In  1876  the  consumption  of  alcoholic  liquors  in 
England  was  23,824,890  gallons,  affording  an  inter- 
nal revenue  tax  of  nearly  $100,000,000.  In  the 
same  year  Russia  consumed  60,500,000  gallons.  In 
France  in  1885  it  reached  nearly  48,000,000.  In  the 
United  States  the  revenue  derived  from  this  source  in 
1884  was  about  $80,000,000.  In  Germany  and 
Italy  the  income  from  the  taxation  of  liquors  is  com- 
paratively small,  as  the  vice  of  drunkenness  has  never 
attained  serious  proportions  in  these  countries. 

What  is  called  "  proof  spirit "  contains  about  equal 
proportions  of  alcohol  and  water  by  weight,  being 
49.24  parts  of  the  former  and  50.76  of  the  latter,  the 
atomic  weight  of  alcohol  standing  as  0.794,  to  1.00  of 
water.  Rum,  whisky,  brandy  and  gin  have  a  general 
average  of  from  53  to  57  per  cent  of  alcohol.  Drinking 
spirits  are  seldom  sold  over  .11  above  proof,  from 
which  it  varies  downward  to  25  under  proof.  Rum, 
however,  is  manufactured  and  imported  as  highly 
concentrated  as  from  10  to  45  over  proof. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  ADULTERATION  OF  LIQUORS. 

WE  have  collected  from  the  works  of  Hassel  and 
other  authors  many  of  the  facts  on  adulteration  of 
liquors  contained  in  this  chapter.  The  aggregate  is 
certainly  startling  and  merits  the  thoughtful  con- 
sideration of  every  well-wisher  of  the  human  race. 
Eminent  chemists  assert  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the 
liquor  used  in  the  United  States,  is  more  or  less 
poisoned  by  drugs.  There  are  thousands  of  men  to- 
day that  are  thriving  financially  on  this  nefarious 
business. 

A  variety  of  articles  are  employed  in  these  adul- 
terations, some  of  which  are  sugar  of  lead,  capsicum, 
juniper  berries,  aloes,  logwood,  verdigris,  etc.,  accord- 
ing to  the  liquor  to  be  .simulated.  Cheap  whisky  is 
converted  into  best  cognac  brandy;  champagne,  old 
port,  sherry,  in  fact  all  wines  are  so  closely  im- 
itated as  to  make  it  'difficult  for  an  expert  to  detect 
the  difference.  In  the  United  States  more  port  wine 
is  drunk  in  one  year  than  passes  through  the  Custom 
House  in  ten;  and  the  same  proportion  of  champagne 
is  used  above  what  the  entire  district  of  Champagne 
produces.  The  failure  of  the  whole  crop  of  Madeira 
causes  no  apparent  diminution  of  the  quantity  in  the 
market ;  and  the  price  of  cognac  brandy  is  four  times 
as  high  in  France  as  it  is  here.  If  other  proof  than 
(26) 


THE  ADULTERATION  OF  LIQUORS.  27 

chemical  analysis  were  needed  to  establish  the  fact  of 
the  universal  adulteration  of  liquors,  it  is  found  in  the 
above  statement.  It  is  the  presence  of  these  poison- 
ous compounds  that  ruins  the  health  of  such  multi- 
tudes of  people,  and  tends  to  excite  them  to  all  man- 
ner of  crimes. 

As  before  observed  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland  drink 
far  less  whisky  to-day  than  previous  to  the  advent  of 
Eev.  Theobald  Mathew ;  yet  a  case  of  delirium  tre- 
mensVas  seldom  known  to  them  then,  though  in  the 
present  day  it  is  a  common  occurrence.  Since  the  art 
of  multiplication  by  adulteration  has  achieved  such 
prominence,  this  dread  disease  is  now  prevalent  in  all 
whisky-drinking  countries.  Owing  to  these  spurious 
liquors  intemperance  has  become  so  common  in  France 
that  the  Government  has  appointed  a  commission  to 
investigate  its  cause.  Just  in  the  ratio  that  the  manu- 
facture of  pure  wine  decreases,  with  a  corresponding 
raise  jn  its  price,  the  introduction  of  adulteration 
takes  place  in  any  country.  The  demand  is  so  great 
that  if  only  good  liquor  were  sold  its  enhanced  value 
would  place  it  beyond  the  reach  of  the  majority,  who 
consume  the  cheap,  adulterated  article.  Admitting 
this,  one  of  the  most  cogent  and  successful  means  to 
prevent  intemperance  would  be  legislation  against  the 
manufacture  of  spurious  liquors,  with  a  severe  penalty 
attached  for  those  found  guilty  of  its  infringement. 
The  adoption  of  such  a  law  would  compel  the  support 
of  whole  communities,  because  it  would  not  curtail  the 
rights  of  any  one  individual,  or  render  valueless  any 
property  except  the  implements  and  substances  used 


28  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

for  the  purpose  of  adulterations.  This  law  would  be 
in  harmony  with  our  constitution  and  could  therefore 
be  enforced.  Prohibitionists  would  greatly  advance 
their  cause  by  agitating  this  question. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  give 
a  few  recipes  commonly  used  in  the  adulteration  of 
liquors.  The  peculiar  flavor  of  true  brandy  is  pro- 
duced by  the  volatile  oil  of  the  grape  and  is  simulated 
as  follows:  Take  100  gallons  of  alcohol  and  add  half 
a  pound  of  cream  of  tartar,  a  few  gallons  of  French 
wine  vinegar,  a  bushel  or  so  of  plums,  the  refuse  of 
wine  casks,  half  a  bushel  of  oak  sawdust,  and  a  trifle 
of  acetic  ether,  with  the  help  of  steam  to  give  the  com- 
bination head. 

Another  adulteration :  Take  100  gallons  of  corn 
win. sky,  twelve  gallons  of  spirit  distilled  from  raisins, 
four  gallons  extract  of  paradise  seed,  two  gallons 
of  cherry  laurel  water,  two  gallons  spirit  almond 
cake,  one-half  bushel  of  oak  sawdust,  with  the 
same  steaming  process  as  the  other.  In  like  manner 
all  the  better  varieties  of  wines  are  imitated,  and 
passed  off  on  the  public  as  the  genuine  article. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  private  circular  lately 
sent  to  liquor  dealers,  and  speaks  for  itself:  "The 
undersigned  would  call  the  attention  of  manufacturers 
of  liquors  and  wines  to  his  very  large  stock  of  cognac 
oils,  extracts  of  brandy,  Holland  and  London  gin, 
essence  of  rum,  peach  and  cherry  brandy,  oils  of  rye 
for  producing  a  superior  Monongahela  or  Bourbon 
whisky  from  common  corn  spirit,  and  his  invaluable 
preparations  for  neutralizing  and  giving  age  and 


THE  ADULTERATION  OF  LIQUORS.  29 

body  to  new  liquors.  He  has  determined  to  reduce 
the  price  of  all  his  goods,  yet  he  warrants  his  oils  to  be 
superior  to  any  other  in  this  country.  He  guarantees 
to  produce  six  barrels  of  good  merchantable  brandy 
from  one  ounce  of  cognac  oil.  Cherry  juice  and 
malva  coloring  for  the  manufacture  of  port  wine, 
flavorings  for  ginger,  claret,  Madeira  and  Malaga 
wines,  onanthic,  acetic,  and  nitrous  ethers,  essential 
oils  of  almonds,  juniper,  caraway,  rose,  angelica,  cala- 
mus, anise,  absinthe,  apple,  pear,  vanilla,  raspberry, 
strawberry,  pine-apple  and  banana,  all  of  the  best 
quality.  The  price  will  be  satisfactory.  Address, 
etc.,  etc. 

PRICE  CURRENT. 

Per  oz.        Per  Ib. 

Best  Cognac  Oil,  1  ounce   to  6  barrels  $8  00     $100  00 

Second  Quality  Cognac  Oil,  1  ounce  to 

4  barrels 6  00         50  00 

Third  Quality  Cognac  Oil,  1  ounce  to 

2  barrels 300        2500 

Extract  Cognac,  1  pound  to  5  barrels.  .  10  00 

Oil  of  Rye  for  Monongahela  and  Bour- 
bon Whiskies 5  00 

Essences 5  00 

Extract   Holland  and   London  Gin,  1  Per  gal. 

gallon  for  half  a  pipe $500 

Flavorings  of  every  description 5  00 

Neutralizing  for  age  and  body  prepara- 
tions, 1  gallon  for  20  barrels 10  00 

Cherry  and  other  juices  from $1  50  to  2  00 

To  this  list  is  added  the  following  recipe  for  making  gin: 
"To  700  gallons  of  second  quality  rectified  spirits  add  70 
pounds  juniper  berries,  70  pounds  coriander  seed,  3^  pounds 
of  oil  of  almond  cake,  1^  pounds  of  angelica  root,  6  pounds  of 
licorice  root,  and  8  pounds  of  sulphuric  acid. " 

Essence  of  sloe  juice  is  used  by  these  adulterators 
to  give  a  dry  ness  and  color  to  wines.  Essence  of 


30  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

black  currants  produces  both  body  and  richness  of 
flavor  so  much  esteemed  in  good  port  wine.  A  solu- 
tion of  tannin  in  spirits  gives  the  requisite  astringency 
and  true  sherry  flavor  to  inferior  wines.  Palm  oil 
dissolved  in  spirits  imparts  a  rich  golden  color  to 
sherry.  The  chemist  can  always  find  ingredients  for 
"  doctoring  "  our  drinks  as  required.  The  adulteration 
of  champagne  is  carried  on  to  a  greater  extent  than 
that  of  any  other  wine.  A  fair  sample  of  champagne 
can  be  made  from  cider,  maple  sugar,  or  goose- 
berries. 

The  above  facts  are  sufficient  evidence  of  the  ex- 
tent of  this  most  culpable  practice.  Scotch  and  Irish 
whiskies,  which  were  formerly  made  pure  by  illicit 
stills  scattered  over  the  hills  and  bogs  of  Ireland  and 
Scotland,  are  now  simulated  by  adding  creosote  to 
corn  whisky  to  give  it  the  desired  smoky  flavor.  In 
England  what  is  called  "Parliament  whisky"  is  that 
which  pays  the  Government  tax.  The  lower  grades 
of  this  liquor  are  strengthened  by  the  addition  of 
strychnine,  which  increases  its  quantity.  The  more 
fatal  effects  among  those  suffering  from  delirium  tre- 
inens  are  attributable  to  this  cause. 

Malt  liquors  do  not  escape  adulteration.  Some  of 
the  articles  used  for  this  purpose  are  flag  root,  canna- 
l>is  indicus,  capsicum,  paradise  seed,  beans,  pulverized 
alum,  quassia,  sulphate  of  ammonia,  sulphate  of  iron, 
cocculus  indicus,  etc.,  etc.,  in  accordance  with  the  re- 
sult to  be  produced. 

A  story  is  told  of  George  the  Fourth  of  England, 
who  was  considered  a  connoisseur  in  wine.  In  the 


THE  ADULTERATION  OF  LIQUORS.  31 

early  days  of  his  dissipation  he  had  in  his  possession 
a  small  quantity  of  choice  wines.  The  gentlemen  of 
his  suite,  who  shared  his  appreciation  of  good  wine, 
finding  he  did  not  call  for  it,  had  exhausted  it  al- 
most to  the  last  bottle.  Soon  after,  what  was  their 
horror  to  hear  the  royal  command  that  it  should  be 
forthcoming  at  an  entertainment  to  be  given  on  the 
day  following.  In  the  greatest  consternation  they 
sought  a  noted  wine-brewer  in  the  city  and  explained 
their  dilemma. 

"  Have  you  any  of  the  wine  left  ?  "  said  the  adept. 

"A  couple  of  bottles,"  rejoined  the  distressed  party. 

"  Send  one  of  them  and  I  will  see  that  you  have 
the  necessary  quantity  on  hand  in  time,  only  tell  me 
the  very  latest  moment  it  can  be  received,  for  it  must 
be  drunk  immediately." 

He  kept  his  word.  The  deception  was  perfect  and 
no  discovery  of  the  fictitious  potation  was  made. 

We  subjoin  a  simple  test  of  the  purity  of  claret 
wine :  Make  a  solution  of  caustic  potash  and  put  a 
single  drop  in  a  glass  of  wine  and  if  unadulterated  it 
will  not  be  affected.  If  it  is  colored  with  logwood,  it 
will  turn  reddish  purple;  if  with  elderberries,  dark 
purple ;  if  mulberries  were  used,  a  lighter  shade  of  pur- 
ple ;  if  beet  root,  a  clear  red  ;  if  Brazil  wood,  muddy 
red,  and  if  litmus  has  been  introduced,  a  pale  shade 
of  violet  is  the  result. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


COMPARATIVE    EFFECTS     OF    FERMENTED    AXD 
SPIRITUOUS  LIQUORS. 

ALTHOUGH  alcohol  is  chemically  the  same  in 
brandy,  whisky,  wine  and  beer,  yet  the  relative 
effects  of  these  liquors  on  the  human  organism  differ 
very  widely.  The  alcohol  in  wine  and  beer,  honestly 
made  from  grapes  and  barley,  does  not  intoxicate  in 
the  same  degree  as  an  equal  amount  taken  in  brandy 
and  whisky.  The  probable  reason  of  this  is  that 
the  weightier  portions  of  the  wine  or  beer  modify  the 
action  of  this  spirit  on  the  system.  Just  how  this 
is  done,  we  cannot  explain  ;  but  that  such  is  its  effect, 
is  a  demonstrable  fact. 

Wine  seerns  to  excite  the  social  and  genial  traits  of 
character.  Though  it  intoxicates,  it  seldom  renders 
the  person  irritable  or  combative.  It  has  been  vari- 
ously regarded  by  ancient  and  modern  writers.  Sol- 
omon warns  us  not  to  "  look  upon  the  wine  when  it  is 
red,  when  it  giveth  color  in  the  cup,"  assuring  us  that 
it  is  a  "  mocker,  and  whosoever  is  deceived  thereby  is 
not  wise."  Shakespeare  makes  the  unhappy  Cassio 
most  eloquently  discourse  on  this  favorite  beverage: 
"O  thou  invisible  spirit  of  wine!  If  thou  hast  no 
name  to  be  known  by,  let  us  call  thee  devil."  Hor- 
ace took  a  happier  view  of  the  subject  and  probably 
expressed  the  spirit  of  his  age :  "What  does  not  wine 
(32) 


FERMENTED  AND  SPIRITUOUS  LIQUORS.      33 

incite  to  ?  It  discloses  secrets,  compels  ratification 
of  our  hopes,  urges  on  the  coward  to  fight,  removes 
care  from  the  troubled  mind,  teaches  the  arts.  Whom 
have  not  flowing  cups  made  eloquent  ?  Whom  have 
they  not  made  free  and  happy  under  pinching  pov- 
erty?" 

Whether  wine  was  ever  entitled  to  such  an  extrav- 
agant panegyric,  is  not  of  very  great  importance ;  it 
simply  goes  to  show  the  high  estimate  in  which  it  was 
held  in  that  early  time. 

Liebig  says  that,  "  as  a  restorative,  as  a  means  of 
refreshment  when  the  powers  of  life  are  exhausted,  of 
giving  animation  and  energy  when  man  has  to 
struggle  with  days  of  sorrow,  as  a  means  of  protection 
against  transient,  organic  disturbance,  wine  is  sur- 
passed by  no  product  of  nature." 

In  the  history  of  the  social  life  of  France,  wine  has 
the  honor  of  being  esteemed  the  source  of  much  of  the 
brilliancy  and  vivacity  of  this  people,  some  writers 
going  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  patriotism,  politeness, 
undaunted  courage  and  exquisite  sense  of  personal 
dignity  characteristic  of  the  French  nation,  are  largely 
due  to  the  general  use  of  this  favorite  beverage.  That 
such  an  aggregate  of  virtues  can  be  justly  attributed  to 
wine,  is  an  open  question ;  but  that  it  is  more  condu- 
cive to  the  growth  of  such  qualities  than  the  drinking 
of  either  beer  or  whisky,  is  undoubtedly  true.  For 
the  mass  of  people  in  Great  Britain  and  America,  for- 
eign wines  are  too  expensive,  and  as  a  consequence  a 
taste  for  spirituous  liquors  has  been  substituted  among 
them. 

3 


34  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

Unlike  the  stimulation  of  wine  and  whisky,  beer 
dulls  and  stupefies  the  brain.  When  it  is  adulterated 
or  excessively  fortified,  its  influence  is  similar  to  that  of 
distilled  liquors.  Beer  is  not  apt  to  render  the  indi- 
vidual belligerent  or  aggressive.  Germans  rarely  quar- 
rel over  their  glass,  and  are  proverbially  a  peace-lov- 
ing, law-abiding  people.  Their  partiality  for  this 
drink  is  a  recognized  characteristic.  When  under  its 
influence,  they  are  eminently  social  and  cheerful  until 
the  brain  becomes  overpowered  by  excessive  imbibi- 
tion, when  they  become  not  drunk,  but  besotted. 

Brandy,  whisky  and  other  spirituous  liquors,  have 
a  more  immediate  and  direct  effect  on  the  nerves 
and  brain  than  does  either  wine  or  beer.  If  taken 
in  larger  quantity  than  would  serve  merely  to  stim- 
ulate, they  excite  in  an  abnormal  degree  the  most 
conspicuous  traits  in  the  person.  As,  for  instance, 
the  musical  man  sings,  the  piously  inclined  prays 
and  exhorts,  the  sympathetic  sheds  tears,  the  orator 
becomes  declamatory,  the  hilarious  man  boisterous, 
the  pugilist  combative,  and  so  on  through  all  the  cate- 
gory of  human  idiosyncrasies.  Viewed  in  this  light, 
it  would  seem  that  the  baser  instincts  are  too  often  in 
the  ascendency  in  man,  when  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  fact  that  a  majority  of  the  crimes  committed 
can  be  traced  to  the  direct  or  indirect  influence  of 
ardent  spirits. 

We  can  only  treat  of  the  comparative  effects  of 
liquors  in  a  general  and  not  in  a  particular  sense,  as 
the  individual  differences  of  people  must  in  a  great 
measure  determine  the  actual  sequence  of  their  use. 


FERMENTED  AND  SPIRITUOUS  LIQUORS.      35 

Enough  facts,  however,  can  be  deduced  from  this 
general  compilation  to  make  it  evident  that  fer- 
mented liquors  are  far  preferable  to  spirituous  ones. 
If  we  must  drink  such  beverages,  let  them  be  wine 
or  beer  rather  than  whisky,  brandy,  etc.  When 
we  pass  in  review  the  long  list  of  horrors  attendant 
on  intoxication,  we  are  convinced  that  it  would  be  a 
decided  step  in  the  right  direction  if  appropriate 
legislation  were  made  to  encourage  the  consumption 
of  fermented  liquors,  and  decrease  the  consumption 
of  spirituous  ones. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  OF  ALCOHOL. 

WHEN  taken  into  the  stomach  in  the  form  of 
brandy,  whisky  or  other  distilled  spirits,  alcohol  is 
not  immediately  absorbed  but  remains  as  an  irritant 
to  the  mucous  coating,  until,  by  the  process  of  exos- 
mose  and  endosmose,  transudation  takes  place  be- 
tween the  spirit  and  the  watery  portion  of  the  blood. 
When  sufficiently  diluted,  it  is  taken  up  by  the  ab- 
sorbents. If  applied  to  the  skin,  a  like  process  is  car- 
ried on.  If  diluted  before  imbibing  it  does  not  irri- 
tate the  stomach  to  the  same  extent,  and  absorption 
is  more  rapid.  It  then  enters  the  general  circulation 
through  the  veins  and  is  conveyed  to  the  heart 
through  the  right  ventricle,  from  there  to  the  right 
auricle,  and  thence  to  the  lungs,  where  a  portion  is  set 
free  by  expiration.  The  remainder  returns  immedi- 
ately to  the  heart  by  the  left  ventricle,  from  there  to  the 
left  auricle,  and  thence  through  the  aorta  to  the 
brain  and  circulatory  system,  and  again  returns  to  the 
heart,  making  the  circuit  in  about  two  and  a  half 
minutes.  As  the  blood  passes  through  every  organ  of 
the  body,  the  tissues  are  either  nourished  or  poisoned 
thereby.  Thus  health  depends  on  the  purity  and  in- 
tegrity of  the  arterial  blood.  The  effect  of  alcohol  is 
evanescent  unless  frequent  imbibitions  follow  each 
other,  when  the  blood  and  tissues  become  saturated 
(36) 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  OF  ALCOHOL.       37 

the  brain  unduly  excited,  and  the  individual  exhibits 
in  excess  his  most  dominant  trait  of  character.  Fi- 
nally he  loses  all  control  of  his  reasoning  faculties,  his 
locomotion  becomes  uncertain,  and  then  altogether 
ceases;  total  paralysis  supervenes,  and  we  look  with 
disgust  upon  the  helpless  mass  of  flesh  reduced  to  that 
pitiable  condition  familiarly  known  as  "  dead  drunk." 

The  habitual  drunkard  never  dilutes  his  liquor; 
he  invariably  takes  it  "straight,"  as  the  saying  is. 
This  excess  of  stimulation  produces  a  constantly  in- 
creasing inflammation  of  the  stomach  which  can  only 
result  in  exhaustion  of  the  vitality  of  that  organ, 
when  reaction  follows  with  its  attendant  horror,  de- 
lirium tremens. 

Inebriates  are  divided  into  two  distinct  classes. 
The  first  is  the  man  who  drinks  excessively  for  a  short 
season  and  then  resigns  himself  to  the  after  effects, 
which  are  mild  or  severe  according  to  the  amount  of 
liquor  drunk  and  the  strength  of  his  constitution. 
After  paying  Nature's  penalty  for  violating  her  laws, 
he  observes  a  rigid  abstinence  for  weeks  or  months  as 
the  case  may  be  until  his  cravings  again  overpower 
him,  and  another  "  spree "  is  the  invariable  conse- 
quence. He  may  continue  in  this  course  for  years, 
as  Nature  applies  her  healing  balm  to  his  outraged  sys- 
tem during  his  interval  of  self-denial.  The  second  class 
is  largely  in  the  majority.  It  includes  all  those  who 
are  rarely  free  from  the  influence  of  ardent  spirits,  but 
who  do  not  become  intoxicated  to  an  extent  that  un- 
fits them  for  daily  attendance  to  their  business.  The 
amount  of  liquor  drunk  must  increase  with  the  con- 


38  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

tinuance  of  the  habit  until  it  sometimes  reaches  the 
extent  of  more  than  a  quart  a  day.  In  such  per- 
sons, delirium  tremens  is  always  more  severe  and  of- 
ten proves  fatal.  As  an  illustration  of  the  terrible 
suffering  that  a  habitual  drunkard  endures  while 
wrestling  with  this  disease,  I  quote  the  following  lan- 
guage of  John  B.  Gough :  u  For  three  days  I  en- 
dured more  agony  than  pen  can  describe,  even 
though  it  were  guided  by  a  Dante.  Who  can  relate 
the  horrors  of  that  frightful  malady,  aggravated  as  it 
is  by  the  ever-present  consciousness  that  it  is  self- 
sought.  Hideous  faces  appeared  on  the  walls  and 
ceilings  and  on  the  floors ;  foul  things  crept  along  the 
bedclothes,  and  glaring  eyes  peered  into  mine.  I 
was  at  one  time  surrounded  by  millions  of  monstrous 
spiders,  which  crawled  slowly,  slowly  over  every 
limb,  whilst  beaded  drops  of  prespiration  would  start 
to  my  brow,  and  I  would  shiver  until  the  bed 
trembled.  Again,  strange  lights  would  dance  before 
my  eyes,  and  then  suddenly  the  very  blackness  of 
darkness  would  appal  me  by  its  dense  gloom.  All 
at  once  while  gazing  at  a  frightful  creation  of  my  dis- 
tempered mind,  I  seemed  struck  with  sudden  blind- 
ness. I  knew  a  candle  was  burning  in  the  room,  but 
I  could  not  see  it.  All  was  pitchy  dark.  I  lost  the 
sense  of  feeling,  too,  for  I  endeavored  to  grasp  my  arm 
in  one  hand,  but  consciousness  was  gone.  I  put  my 
hand  to  my  side,  my  head,  but  felt  nothing ;  and  still  I 
knew  my  limbs  and  my  frame  were  there.  Then  the 
scene  would  change ;  I  was  falling,  falling  swiftly  as 
an  arrow,  far  down  in  some  terrible  abyss  ;  and  so  like 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  OF,  ALCOHOL/       39 

reality  was  it  that  as  I  fell  I  could  discern  on  the  rocky 
sides  of  the  precipitous  shaft,  mocking,  gibing,  fiend-like 
forms.  I  could  feel  the  air  rushing  past  me,  making 
my  hair  stream  out  by  the  force  of  the  unwholesome 
blast.  The  paroxysm  would  sometimes  cease  for  a 
few  moments,  when  I  would  sink  back  to  my  pillow 
drenched  with  perspiration,  utterly  exhausted,  and  feel- 
ing a  dreadful  certainty  of  the  renewal  of  my  tor- 
ments." 

Alcohol  has  two  marked  effects  on  the  circulation- 
In  th§  first  place  it  quickens  the  action  of  the  heart, 
which  gives  an  additional  force  to  the  blood,  and 
again  it  relaxes  the  blood-vessels  on  the  surface  of  the 
body  by  influencing  the  nerves  that  contract  and  ex- 
pand them.  Hence  the  diffused  glow  that  is  expe- 
rienced almost  immediately  after  taking  a  glass  of 
spirits.  The  flushing  of  the  face,  supposed  to  be  due 
to  an  increase  of  temperature,  is  nothing  more  than 
the  radiation  from  an  enlarged  surface  of  blood.  As 
this  enlarged  quantity  of  blood  is  diffused  over  the 
surface  of  the  body  by  the  dilation  of  the  vessels  and 
increase  of  the  circulation,  a  rapid  cooling  off  by  ra- 
diation is  the  result,  and  the  chilled  fluid  is  soon  af- 
ter carried  back  to  the  internal  organs.  Thus  the 
common  practice  of  taking  a  glass  of  spirits  to  keep 
out  the  cold,  has  the  contrary  effect  of  letting  in  the 
cold.  This  apparent  increase  of  temperature,  which  is 
in  reality  a  cooling  process,  renders  the  system  less 
able  to  resist  cold,  especially  in  extreme  cases. 

The  experience  of  such  American  and  English 
navigators  as  Boss,  Perry,  Franklin  and  Kane, 


40  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

demonstrated  the  pernicious  effects  of  alcoholic 
liquors  in  the  polar  latitudes.  The  Russians  have 
long  been  aware  of  this  fact.  Their  soldiers  are  un- 
der orders  not  to  drink  anything  of  an  intoxicating 
nature  on  the  morning  of  a  prospective  march.  To 
insure  obedience  to  this  command,  it  is  the  Corporal's 
duty  to  note  the  breath  of  every  man  in  his  regiment, 
when  they  are  assembled  after  breakfast.  Anyone 
found  to  have  taken  spirits  is  forthwith  sent  out  of 
the  ranks  as  being  unfitted  to  withstand  the  frost  and 
snow  of  a  winter's  march  in  that  rigorous  climate. 

As  a  graphic  illustration  of  the  injurious  results 
of  spirituous  drinks  in  extremely  cold  weather,  we 
set  down  in  full  a  narrative  related  by  Mr.  L.  E.  Mc- 
Kinley : — 

"  A  group  of  twenty-six  men,  traveling  over  a  West- 
ern plain,  lost  their  way  and  were  overtaken  by 
darkness.  The  weather  was  severely  cold  and  be- 
came more  so  as  the  night  advanced.  Though  well 
provided  with  food,  clothing,  and  plenty  of  whisky, 
they  had  no  wood  or  fuel  of  any  kind.  The  occur- 
rences of  the  night  are  given  in  the  language  of  the 
only  physician  who  accompanied  the  exhibition. 
He  was  a  man  of  good,  strong,  hard  sense,  with 
quite  creditable  medical  attainments,  considering  the 
limited  opportunities  he  had  had,  which  consisted  in 
reading  works  on  medical  practice.  He  had  only 
heard  of  but  had  never  seen  a  medical  college. 

"  Addressing  the  men  he  said  :  'As  we  can't  get 
wood,  boys,  we  must  keep  warm  or  at  least  alive 
through  the  powers  of  Madam  Vis  Medicatrix 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  OF  ALCOHOL.       41 

She  is  all  right  in  any  weather  if  we  don't  clog  her, 
and  pucker  her  forces.  If  I  have  got  any  medical 
knowledge  at  all,  I  am  going  to  use  it  to-night,  and 
the  first  thing  I  begin  with  is  this :  I  am  as  fond  of 
whisky  as  any  man  dare  to  be,  but  by  the  gods,  the 
man  that  gets  drunk  to-night  to  keep  warm,  won't  see 
the  daylight !  When  the  great  God  of  the  universe 
made  man,  the  boss  work  of  the  earth,  he  made  all 
other  things  first,  and  the  elements  too — not  to  rule 
over  him  and  kill  him,  but  to  hunker  down  to  his 
wants.  But,  boys,  whisky  was  scored  out  of  that  bill 
of  fare.  The  vis  medicatrix  naturce  is  the  highest 
of  all  other  things,  and  if  she  ain't  splintered  up  by 

our  own  d d  folly,  she  will  ride  safely  through  the 

storm. 

"We  have  got  to  keep  stirring  round,  or  huddled 
up  in  the  straw  of  the  wagons,  as  many  of  us  as  can 
cram  together.  Each  one  will  keep  the  other  warm. 
We  must  all  eat  as  much  as  possible,  but  whisky 
ain't  the  thing.  This  is  what  I  told  them  all;  but 
very  few  minded  me.  I  did  not  taste  a  drop,  nor  did 
two  other  men.  We  took  off  our  boots  and  over- 
coats, and  then  got  on  the  straw,  and  put  our  blank- 
ets over  us,  and  our  overcoats  on  the  top  of  them. 
We  were  only  cold  but  did  not  suffer  or  freeze. 
Three  were  very  cold  and  we  heard  them  yelling 
nearly  all  night.  They  suffered  very  much,  but  were 
'not  frozen.  They  took  very  little  whisky,  but  they 
took  several  thin  drinks  in  the  run  of  the  night. 
Seven  other  fellows,  that  drank  a  good  deal,  had  their 
toes  and  fingers  scorched,  but  they  got  over  it  in  a 


42  TEMPERANCE  .AND  PROHIBITION. 

few  weeks.  Six  of  the  boys,  who  drank  pretty  strong, 
were  badly  frozen  and  never  got  over  it ;  and  four, 
that  got  very  boozy,  were  frozen  so  badly  that  they 
died  three  or  four  weeks  afterwards.  Only  three 
were  stiff  dead  by  daylight.  They  got  dead  drunk, 
and  as  they  did  not  make  a  fuss,  the  other  boys 
thought  the  whisky  was  keeping  out  the  cold,  so 
they  drank  the  stronger.  I  tell  you,  sir,  they  all 
suffered  just  according  as  they  took  in  the  whisky ; 
those  that  got  drunk  froze  to  death ;  those  who  drank 
less,  but  too  much,  died  after  a  while;  those  that 
drank  only  moderately,  will  feel  it  as  long  as  they 
live ;  and  those  who  took  only  thin  drinks,  were  well- 
nigh  shut  up.  We  three  didn't  drink  any ;  the  vis 
medicatrix  naturce  brought  us  through.  All  were 
strong  and  vigorous  men,  in  the  very  bloom  of  life.' " 

It  is  a  very  general  but  erroneous  opinion  among 
workmen,  that  when  they  are  called  upon  to  perform 
excessive  and  long-continued  labor,  alcoholic  liquor 
of  some  kind  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  enable  them 
to  execute  it. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  falsity  of  this  conception, 
we  relate  the  following . — 

The  change  of  the  Great  Western  Kailroad  from  a 
six-foot  gauge  to  the  ordinary  gauge,  required  the 
continuous  labor  of  a  large  number  of  men.  They 
literally  worked  night  and  day  until  it  was  com- 
pleted, stopping  only  for  meals  and  an  hour  or  so  ' 
of  sleep.  They  were  allowed  beer  when  eating  but 
at  other  times,  it  was  prohibited,  and  a  drink  of 
the  sweetened  water  from  boiled  oatmeal  substituted 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  ACTION  OF  ALCOHOL.       43 

in  its  place.  One  man  in  every  twenty  was  kept 
busy  preparing  this  wholesome  beverage.  The  work 
was  done  much  better,  .more  cheerfully,  and  in  a 
shorter  time  than  if  beer  or  spirits  had  been  given. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  in  certain  emer- 
gencies alcoholic  liquors,  acting  so  quickly,  and  being 
so  transitory  in  their  effects  on  the  system,  are  often 
very  beneficial. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


ALCOHOL   AS    FOOD. 

As  this  subject  has  long  been  a  matter  of  discus- 
sion among  scientists,  and  is  still  a  mooted  question, 
we  propose  to  devote  a  chapter  to  its  consideration. 

Liebig  says  in  support  of  the  affirmative,  that 
"the  food  action  of  alcohol  must  be  ranked  with 
that  of  fat,  starch,  and  sugar,  because  the  chemical 
basis  of  all  is  carbon." 

Every  aliment  taken  into  the  human  stomach  as 
food,  must  contain  the  chemical  constituents  of  sugar, 
starch,  fat  or  albuminous  substances,  whether  derived 
from  the  vegetable  or  the  animal  kingdom.  In  the 
process  of  digestion  it  receives  the  gastric  j  nice  of  the 
stomach,  the  bile  from  the  gall-duct,  and  the  pan- 
creatic and  other  juices  from  the  abdominal  region. 
If  deficient  in  any  one  of  these  secretions,  the  diges- 
tion is  either  wholly  or  partially  imperfect,  and  we 
cannot  be  assured  that  the  entire  product,  or  any 
portion  of  it,  will  be  converted  into  blood.  What  is 
not  digested  must  be  eliminated  from  the  system  by 
the  excretory  organs. 

Now  admitting  that  carbon  is  the  basic  principle 
of  alcohol,  and  the  before-named  substances,  fat, 
starch  and  sugar,  it  does  not  follow  as  a  natural  se- 
quence 'that  it  is  identical  with  them  in  all  other 
particulars.  The  constituent  elements  of  alcohol  are 
(44) 


ALCOHOL  AS  FOOD.  45 

carbon,  oxygen  and  hydrogen.  Not  being  in  combi- 
nation with  any  animal  or  vegetable  matter,  it  con- 
tains no  nitrogen,  which  is  the  basis  of  all  tissue- 
forming  foods* 

Being  wholly  devoid  of  this  essential  element,  it  is 
impossible  for  it  to  undergo  the  process  of  digestion, 
which  would  fit  it  for  assimilation  by  the  different 
organs,  and,  consequently,  cannot  be  considered  an 
aliment.  It  is  the  height  of  absurdity  to  assert  that 
it  "  must  be  ranked  with  fat,  starch  and  sugar/,  which 
are  pre-eminently  tissue-forming  foods. 

Another  statement,  equally  erroneous,  is  made  by 
Hargreaves  in  his  work  entitled  "Alcohol  and  Sci- 
ence." He  says :  "Although  alcohol  is  not  a  tissue- 
forming  food,  it  is  a  calorific  agent ;  and  by  its  power 
of  generating  heat  in  the  system,  which  is  a  necessity 
to  digestion,  it  takes  the  place  of  food,  and  should 
be  regarded  as  a  respiratory  and  heat-producing 
aliment." 

In  a  normal  condition  of  the  stomach,  when  food  is 
introduced,  it  not  only  provokes  the  flow  of  the  gas- 
tric juice,  but  it  stimulates  the  evolving  of  a  proper 
temperature  necessary  for  digestion.  Nature  is  very 
exacting  in  her  demands ;  if  the  heat  is  above  or  be- 
low the  proper  degree,  the  digestion  is  retarded  or 
prevented  altogether.  It  is  a  knowledge  of  the 
exact  temperature  required  in  the  process  of  fermen- 
tation that  enables  the  wine  manufacturer,  and  the 
brewer,  to  perfecf  their  products. 

Now  alcohol  by  its  presence  in  the  stomach  in- 
creases the  heat  above  the  requirements  of  the  digest- 


46  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

ive  apparatus,  vitiates  the  gastric  juice,  and  not  be- 
ing a  solvent  of  food  like  the  latter,  or  water,  it  im- 
pairs and  impedes  nature  in  her  work.  If  by  any 
possibility  an  increase  of  normal  temperature  in  the 
stomach  would  be  an  aid  to  its  work,  then  food 
would  more  easily  digest  when  an  excess  of  heat  was 
generated  by  any  morbific  condition  of  the  system, 
whereas,  we  know  to  the  contrary. 

It  is  affirmed  that  alcohol  effects  another  serious 
injury  to  the  stomach  by  vitiating  the  most  im- 
portant component  of  the  gastric  juice — pepsin.  It 
•  precipitates  and  coagulates  this  ingredient,  rendering 
it  wholly  or  partially  unable  to  disolve  alimentary 
substances. 

It  is  difficult,  therefore,  to  perceive  wherein  alcohol 
can  be  justly  considered  by  Mr.  Hargreaves  as  "a 
respiratory  and  heat-producing  food." 

The  same  writer  says  farther  on  that  "  alcohol  re- 
tards the  destruction  of  tissue.  By  this  destruction, 
force  is  generated,  causing  muscles  to  contract,  or- 
gans to  secrete  and  excrete.  Now,  as  alcohol  stops 
the  full  tide  of  this  decay,  it  Is  very  evident  it  must 
also  furnish  the  force  which  is  developed  under  its  use. 
How  it  does  this,  is  not  clear. 

"Although  alcohol  is  not  a  tissue-forming  food, 
yet  it  indirectly  supplies  the  place  of  such,  by  retard- 
ing the  metamorphosis  of  tissue,  preventing  the 
Avaste  of  muscle,  and  thereby  preserving  the  strength 
and  upholding  the  power  of  life." 

This  argument  he  handles  discursively  and  in- 
geniously throughout  the  work,  and  from  its  promi- 


ALCOHOL  AS  FOOD.  47 

nence   rather   than  its  conclusive  logic,    it   deserves 
more  than  a  passing  notice. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  food  does  not  furnish 
any  force  to  the  human  system,  until  it  has  first  been 
digested  arid  converted  into  blood.  In  this  form  it 
is  the  vital  nourishment  of  the  tissues  and  organs, 
and  is  appropriated  by  every  portion  of  the  body 
by  a  process  of  assimilation,  technically  known  as 
"Progressive  Metamorphosis."  It  is  well  known  that 
with  every  functional  action  of  these  organs  of  the 
body  a  certain  amount  of  tissue  is  decomposed  just  as 
the  production  of  steam  is  co-existent  with  the  com- 
bustion of  fuel.  No  force  is  ever  created ;  it  is 
simply  produced  by  evolution  or  the  setting  free  of 
another  force.  Every  act,  whether  mental  or  physical, 
results  in  the  destruction  of  tissue.  Thought  is 
evolved  from  the  combustion  of  brain  matter;  the 
force  to  secrete  gastric  juice,  from  the  combustion 
of  some  portion  of  the  stomach,  and  the  force  that 
generates  bile,  from  the  consumption  of  certain 
substances  of  the  liver,  and  so  on  through  the  entire 
organism.  Thus  from  the  destruction  of  one  force, 
another  is  evolved.  These  postulates  are  axiomatic, 
and  here  comes  in  the  operation  of  another  law — the 
law  of  compensation — which  in  the  order  of  nature 
is  inexorable.  If  the  production  of  one  force  from  the 
destruction  of  another  is  not  compensated  for,  an  ex- 
haustion or  wasting  of  the  material  from  which  the 
force  was  evolved,  follows.  As  in  the  instance  of 
steam,  the  power  generated  by  the  burning  fuel  is 
not  replaced ;  the  steam  does  its  work  and  escapes, 


48  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

and  as  a  consequence  its  production  is  coincident  with 
the  consumption  of  fuel. 

The  same  would  be  true  of  the  body  were  it  not 
for  the  continual  formative  processes  going  on  from 
the  digestion  of  food  whereby  new  particles  are  de- 
posited to  take  the  place  of  the  old.  Were  it  not  for 
this  substitution  of  living  atoms  for  decayed,  death 
would  soon  result.  In  a  perfectly  healthy  organism 
this  interchange  is  co-equal.  The  cast-off  tissue  is 
taken  up  by  the  absorbents  as  effete  matter  and  car- 
ried into  the  circulation,  and  is  ultimately  eliminated 
by  the  excretories. 

All  force  is  produced  by  the  destruction  of  tissue, 
yet  Mr.  Hargreaves  states  that  "  alcohol,  by  retarding 
this  destruction,  must  furnish  the  force  which  is  de- 
veloped under  its  use.  How  it  does  this,"  he  further 
says,  "  is  not  very  clear,"  and  with  this  last  acknowl- 
edgment we  most  heartily  agree. 

Alcohol  stimulates  the  system  beyond  its  natural 
condition,  but  it  is  at  the  expense  of  the  latent 
vital  forces.  This  expenditure  cannot  be  com- 
pensated for,  because  this  spirit,  as  we  have  proven, 
contains  none  of  the  elements  of  food.  We  admit 
that  alcohol  obstructs  the  metamorphosis  of  tissue  by 
preventing  the  absorbents  from  taking  it  up.  This 
effete  matter,  however,  cannot  be  used  over  again,  any 
more  than  ashes  could  be  used  to  produce  heat.  It 
simply  accumulates  in  the  system,  the  body  becomes 
loaded  with  impurities  and  does  not  lose  flesh,  which 
fact  is  used  as  an  argument  to  prove  the  beneficial 
effect  of  alcohol  in  conserving  tissue  ;  but  in  reality, 


ALCOHOL  AS  FOOD.  49 

so  far  from  "preserving  the  strength,  ana  upholding 
the  powers  of  lifer"  the  person  is  in  a  very  unhealthy 
condition — the  muscles  become  soft  and  spongy,  the 
flesh  bloated,  and  the  general  rectitude  of  the  sys- 
tem is  impaired.  We  beg,  therefore,  to  differ  with  the 
learned  scientists  who  claim  that  by  some  mysterious 
process  alcohol  furnishes  force  per  se. 

Food,  and  food  only,  can  supply  the  necessary 
nourishment  and  temperature  of  the  body  for  the 
preservation  of  life. 


CHAPTER  X. 


ALCOHOL  AS   A   MEDICINE  AND   A   POISON. 

To  deny  that  the  legitimate  use  of  alcohol  is  a 
blessing,  would  be  to  impugn  the  wisdom  of  the  Cre- 
ator, who  permits  its  existence.  It  is  only  its  abu£e 
that  is  injurious.  That  it  can  be  beneficially  employed 
as  a  medicine  in  certain  physical  conditions,  all  physi- 
cians will  certify.  Where  an  immediate  effect  is  de- 
sired, it  works  to  a  charm.  In  sudden  emergencies 
its  rapid  absorption,  and  its  special  action  on  the 
nervous  system,  are  of  great  practical  value.  The 
liquors  usually  given  in  such  cases  are  brandy  or 
whisky ;  of  the  two,  the  former,  if  pure,  is  preferable. 

In  an  abnormal  state  of  the  system  the  most  marked 
benefit  is  attained  when  the  spirit  administered  does: 
not  affect  the  brain,  though  it  be  given  in  large  quan- 
tities. In  such  instances  it  is  supposed  to  undergo- 
some  chemical  change  by  the  action  of  the  vital 
forces,  thus  forming  new  substances,  which,  having  no 
affinity  for  the  brain,  are  appropriated  by  the  organ- 
ism as  a  remedial  agent  for  its  own  preservation.  We 
have  personally  witnessed  such  cases  where  large  doses 
of  brandy  were  repeated  without  any  perceptible  in- 
fluence upon  the  cerebral  organs. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  brain  is  stimulated  or 
narcotized  by  the  brandy,  this  chemical  change  can- 
not take  place,  and  the  persistent  use  of  the  liquor 
(50) 


ALCOHOL  AS  MEDICINE  AND  POISON.        51 

would  result  seriously  to  the  patient.  In  exhaustive 
diseases,  and  in  sudden  prostrations  of  the  system, 
alcoholic  stimulants  are  of  great  service  in  arousing 
the  vital  forces  for  a  limited  period  until  nature  can 
react.  Their  continued  use  in  any  case  is  always  in- 
jurious, and  productive  of  fatal  consequences  in  the 
long  run. 

Physicians  make  a  grave  mistake  in  teaching  and 
inculcating  the  fallacy  that  alcohol  imparts  strength. 
The  feeling  of  comfort  and  vigor  that  comes  with  its 
presence  in  the  circulation  is  always  transitory  and  must 
sooner  or  later  be  followed  by  a  corresponding  sensa- 
tion of  depression.  Each  reaction  will  be  harder  to 
overcome  than  the  preceding  one,  for  alcohol  cannot 
in  crease  functional  powers,  as  it  has  nothing  of  nour- 
ishment to  give  to  the  system,  as  has  been  previously 
shown. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  devote  a  little 
attention  to  the  consideration  of  the  problem  as  to 
what  becomes  of  alcohol  when  taken  into  the  blood. 
This  has  long  been  a  question  of  importance,  both  in 
medicine  and  organic  chemistry.  Some  scientists 
contend  that  it  is  subject  to  no  change  while  passing 
through  the  system,  but  is  eliminated  through  the 
lungs,  skin,  and  kidneys  as  alcohol  still;  that  it  is  not 
oxidized  in  the  lungs  and  expired  as  carbonic  acid  gas, 
but  as  alcohol,  which  is  always  detected  in  the  breath. 
This  is  undoubtedly  the  natural  effect  of  alcohol  in  a 
healthy  state  of  the  body. 

Others  affirm  that  in  some  diseased  conditions  it 
does  undergo  oxidation,  or,  if  not  that,  some  other 


52  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

chemical  change  takes  place.  The  preponderance  of 
evidence  goes  to  prove  that  there  are  diseases  wherein 
alcohol  comes  in  contact  with  the  morbid  secretions  in 
the  circulation,  when  an  interchange  of  elements  takes 
place  and  new  combinations  are  formed  which  act 
remedially  on  the  system.  This  is  the  reason  that 
large  quantities  of  brandy,  as  before  demonstrated, 
can  be  administered  to  some  patients  without  special 
action  on  the  brain.  The  specific  nature  of  this 
chemical  interchange  of  elements  can  never  be  known, 
as  we  cannot  go  behind  a  law  of  nature. 

That  alcohol  is  a  poison  few  will  doubt.  If  enough 
is  taken  it  will  destroy  life  in  a  short  space  of  time. 
Its  continued  presence  in  the  body  will  bring  on  vari- 
ous diseases  of  the  heart,  lungs,  kidneys,  and  stomach. 
The  most  trivial  causes  render  the  inveterate  drinker 
liable  to  affections  of  these  organs,  as  the  predisposing 
agent  is  always  at  work  in  his  constitution.  Fatty 
degeneration  of  the  heart,  kidneys,  etc.,  and  the 
"  hob-nailed "  liver,  so  called,  are  examples  of  the 
diseases  directly  attributable  to  ardent  spirits.  Thou- 
sands of  wretched  victims  have  been  sacrificed  annu- 
ally to  the  excessive  use  of  these  deleterious  substances. 
Lives  that  promised  a  rich  autumnal  fruitage  have 
faded  in  their  early  spring  or  summer-time,  leaving 
desolate  hundreds  of  once  happy  homes. 

Beer  and  porter,  when  habitually  taken  in  large 
quantities,  prevent  the  metamorphosis  of  tissue  as  be- 
fore elaborated,  and  so  clog  the  bodily  machinery  that 
the  whole  system  becomes  diseased.  The  retention  of 
this  effete  nitrogen  and  carbon  leads  to  an  increase  of 


ALCOHOL  AS  MEDICINE  AND  POISON.        53 

bulk,  dulls  the  brain,  and  the  entire  organism  becomes 
lethargic. 

The  worst  patients  that  enter  the  London  hospitals 
are  the  brewer  men.  A  bruise  or  scratch  which  in 
others  would  be  insignificant,  in  them  will  often  fester 
and  mortify.  Every  medical  man  in  London  dreads 
a  surgical  operation  on  a  patient  who  has  been  a  con- 
firmed beer  drinker.  In  such  cases  the  mortality  is 
frightful.  The  habitual  use  of  these  beverages  causes 
many  of  the  serious  diseases  prevalent  among  people 
of  advanced  age. 

We  have  no  evidence  that  pure,  light  wines  have 
any  deleterious  effects  upon  the  human  system  when 
employed  with  reasonable  moderation. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


ALCOHOL  AS    A   STIMULANT   AND   A    NARCOTIC. 

FEW  things  in  physiology  are  more  important  to 
understand  than  wherein  lies  the  difference  between 
a  stimulant  and  a  narcotic.  The  same  substance 
can  often  be  used  to  produce  either  effect,  according 
to  the  quantity  administered  and  the  physical  condi- 
tion of  the  patient.  The  determining  of  the  amount 
necessary  to  bring  about  a  desired  result,  is  a  matter 
that  can  only  be  decided  by  a  wise  and  experienced 
physician.  The  same  dose  at  different  times  may 
vary  in  its  effects,  owing  to  a  change  in  the  state  of 
the  system. 

In  one  form  or  another,  the  use  of  some  kind  of 
stimulant  is  almost  universal  among  all  nations, 
whether  barbarous  or  civilized,  and  the  secrets  of 
nature  have  been  invaded  to  concoct  a  variety  of 
narcotic  compounds.  The  Chinaman  has  his  opium, 
the  Hindoo  his  hashish,  the  European  and  American 
their  alcohol  and  morphia,  and  millions  of  people  in 
all  climes  are  more  or  less  addicted  to  the  use  of  tea 
and  coffee.  No  habit  is  so  firmly  fixed  on  mankind 
as  that  of  stimulation.  Its  very  universality  would 
almost  convince  one  that  it  is  a  natural,  and,  there- 
fore, perfectly  harmless  practice ;  that  a  moderate  use 
of  stimulants  but  answers  to  an  inborn  instinct  in 
the  race,  and  its  gratification  is  but  an  aid  to  progress 
(54) 


ALCOHOL  AS  A  STIMULANT.  55 

and  happiness.  We  certainly  know  that  it  is  no 
easy  matter  to  deprive  most  people  of  their  favorite 
drink,  or  drug,  even  though  they  may  be  partially  or 
wholly  aware  of  its  injurious  effects. 

It  is  a  question  with  physiologists  whether  the 
taking  of  unadulterated  wine  or  beer  at  meals  is 
not  more  wholesome  than  the  drinking  of  tea  and 
coffee.  The  latter  custom  is  more  prevalent  in  Amer- 
ican families,  while  the  former  is  an  established  habit 
in  many  European  countries,  and  also  in  China  and 
Japan. 

Small  doses  of  alcohol  or  opium  give  a  feeling  of 
relief  and  strength  that  passes  off  without  any  in- 
injurious  reaction  unless  a  repetition  is  resorted  to. 
If  taken  in  excess,  the  forces  of  nature  are  intensi- 
fied, and  if  still  greater  quantities  are  used,  the  brain 
becomes  narcotized.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that 
small  potions  of  alcohol  or  doses  of  morphia  act  as 
a  stimulant  to  produce  that  exhilarating  and  elastic 
state  so  eagerly  sought  by,  the  habitual  partaker  of 
either,  while  larger  amounts  of  the  same  are  ad- 
mitted to  be  powerful  narcotics.  Their  employment 
has  been  injuriously  frequent  and  unnecessary  among 
even  our  best  physicians.  Especially  is  this  so  of 
morphia,  administered  either  hypodermically  or  other- 
wise, to  quiet  pain  that  is  neither  extreme  nor  unendu- 
rable. It  generally  gives  immediate  relief,  but  must 
usually  be  repeated,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  has  ever 
removed  disease. 

As  long  as  the  system  is  under  the  influence  of  a 
narcotic,  no  other  medicine,  if  administered,  can 


56  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

have  its  full  effect,  owing  to  the  depression  of  the  vital 
forces.  For  the  same  reason  all  pain  and  suffering, 
which  are  the  indices  ^of  disease,  are  suppressed,  and 
the  physician  finds  it  impossible  to  locate  the  malady, 
or  form  a  correct  judgment  as  to  its  cause  or  inten- 
sity. If  the  disease  is  not  a  serious  one,  as,  for  in- 
stance, an  acute  attack  of  neuralgia,  the  vitality  will 
overcome  both  the  disorder  and  the  drug ;  but  if  the 
case  is  of  a  dangerous  character,  and  the  patient  is 
persistently  kept  under  its  influence,  death  is  almost 
sure  to  result,  it  being  only  a  question  of  time. 

The  true  province  of  the  physician  is  to  discover 
the  cause  of  a  disease  and  to  assist  Nature  in  remov- 
ing it,  always  with  a  reverent  conviction  that,  of  the 
two,  himself  or  Nature,  she  is  invariably  the  wiser. 
It  requires  little  medical  knowledge  to  administer 
alcohol  or  morphia,  but  a  proper  understanding  of 
the  laws  that  govern  our^  being  is  a  profounder  mat- 
ter, and  one  of  far  deeper  moment  to  ourselves  and 
humanity. 

So  popular  has  this  practice  of  narcotizing  become 
in  the  medical  profession  that  it  is  time  that  strenuous 
efforts  were  made  to  convince  people  that  its  use  is 
dangerous.  In  this  age  of  progressive  thought,  we 
ought  to  know  that  anything  that  paralyzes  the 
efforts  of  nature  when  she  is  working  to  her  utmost 
to  cast  out  disease,  is  wholly  unreasonable,  and,  alas ! 
too  often  fatal  in  its  results. 

This  prescribing  of  narcotics  has  led  thousands  of 
men  and  women  to  become  confirmed  in  the  use  of 
morphia,  from  whose  relentless  grasp  escape  is  almost 
impossible. 


CHAPTER    XII, 


LICENSING   SYSTEMS    OF    GREAT   BRITAIN   AND 
AMERICA. 

THE  granting  of  licenses  for  the  sale  of  spirituous 
liquors  is  not  of  recent  origin.  It  dates  back  in 
England  some  hundreds  of  years.  Such  licenses 
were  first  granted  by  justices  of  the  peace,  and  security 
required  of  the  applicant  for  good  conduct  and  proper 
management  of  the  house.  This  right  was  exercised 
by  these  officers  of  the  law  for  nearly  three  hundred 
years. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  this 
law  was  changed  and  the  exclusive  authority  to  grant 
licenses  for  the  sale  of  alcoholic  beverages  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Commissioners  of  Excise  on  the  payment 
of  a  certain  sum,  and  the  presentation  of  a  certifi- 
cate of  character  signed  by  six  rate-payers.  The 
natural  result  of  these  easy  terms  was  a  rapid  increase 
of  saloons,  for  the  poorest  and  lowest  characters  were 
able  to  obtain  the  right  to  maintain  them.  Two 
classes  of  licenses  were  granted  :  One  permitting 
liquor  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises,  and  one  to  be 
drunk  off  the  premises.  The  latter  was  seldom  re- 
quired and  consequently  the  country  was  overrun 
with  small  drinking  houses. 

In  1869  Parliament  passed  an  act  assigning  to  the 
magistracy  the  right  of  giving  certificates,  whichalone 

'57) 

('UNIVERSITY 

' 


.        ',       ,         ;' 


58  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

should  entitle  the  grantees  to  obtain  licenses  for  the 
sale  of  malt  liquors.  The  magistrates  of  small  towns 
and  rural  districts  receive  no  salary,  and  are  generally 
chosen  from  the  most  wealthy  and  influential  class  in 
the  township.  Owing  to  the  great  patronage  they 
possessed,  and  having  the  exclusive  privilege  of  grant- 
ing licenses,  many  designing  and  unscrupulous  persons 
secured  appointments.  As  a  consequence,  monopo- 
lies were  created  by  them  to  establish,  control  and 
prevent  competition,  and  so  corrupt  did  this  system 
of  licensing  become,  that  a  strong  desire  for  some 
kind  of  reformation  was  engendered  in  the  minds  of 
the  people.  Their  efforts  to  bring  about  a  change 
were  strenuously  opposed  by  the  powerful  body  of 
liquor  manufacturers  and  dealers. 

The  House  of  Lords  appointed  a  select  committee, 
in  1877,  to  investigate  the  subjoined  practical  ques- 
tions bearing  on  the  subject : — 

"First — Has  past  legislation  been  effective  in 
diminishing  the  amount  of  drunkenness  which  un- 
fortunately prevails  in  the  most  populous  districts  of 
the  country? 

"Second — Are  we  likely  to  effect  this  object  either 
by  amending  the  provisions  of  the  laws  now  in  force, 
or  by  introducing  some  entire  new  system  of  licens- 
ing?" 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  these  questions  was 
substantially  as  follows :  To  the  first  proposition 
they  gave  a  distinctively  negative  answer ;  and  to  the 
second  they  recommended  that  legal  facilities  be  given 
to  municipalities  for  adopting  either  Mr.  Chamber- 


LICENSING  SYSTEMS.  59 

Iain's  plan  or  the  "  Gothenburg  system,'*  neither  of 
which  they  positively  indorsed. 

Up  to  the  appointment  of  this  committee,  two 
classes  of  licenses,  as  before  said,  were  granted  by 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  to  sell  excisable  liquors  by  re- 
tail :  One  class  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises  and  the 
other  to  be  drunk  off  the  premises.  The  former  were 
issued  under  magisterial  discretion  ;  the  latter  he  had 
not  the  power  of  refusal.  These  were  granted  under 
the  system  of  free  trade,  which  after  experience 
proved  to  be  a  failure,  they  not  being  sufficiently  re- 
munerative, because  like  privileges  were  contained  in 
those  issued  by  magisterial  discretion.  The  committee 
recommended  some  change  of  doubtful  importance 
for  the  amendment  of  the  licensing  laws,  with  little 
hope  that  any  legislative  enactment  could  materially 
diminish  the  consumption  of  spirituous  liquors.  They 
proposed  the  following  bill : — 

"  That  on  Sundays  licensed  houses  in  the  metropo- 
lis should  be  open  from  1  to  3  p.  M.  for  consumption 
off  the  premises,  and  from  7  to  11  P.  M.  for  con- 
sumption on  the  premises.  That  in  other  places  in 
England  they  should  be  open  from  12:30  to  2:30 
p.  M.  for  drinking  off  the  premises,  and  for  consump- 
tion on  the  premises  from  7  to  10  P.  M.,  in  popular 
places,  and  from  7  to  9  P.  M.  in  other  places."  This 
bill  was  rejected. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  1876,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
"Birmingham  Liberal  Association"  in  England,  the 
annexed  resolution,  presented  by  Mr.  Chamberlain, 
was  adopted: — 


60  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

"  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  it  is  desirable 
that  local  representative  authorities  should  be  em- 
powered to  acquire,  on  payment  of  fair  compensation, 
on  a  principle  to  be  fixed  by  Parliament,  all  existing 
interests  in  the  retail  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks, 
within  their  respective  districts,  and  thereafter,  if 
they  see  fit  to  carry  on  the  trade  for  the  convenience 
and  on  behalf  of  the  inhabitants,  but  so  that  no  in- 
dividual shall  have  any  pecuniary  interest  in,  or  de- 
rive any  profit  from,  such  sale." 

The  adoption  of  this  resolution  called  out  a  speech 
from  Mr.  Chamberlain,  in  which  he  proposed  a  plan 
for  the  suppression  of  intemperance ;  it  ran  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Town  councils  might  be  empowered,  after 
giving  the  usual  notice,  and  on  payment  of  fair  com- 
pensation, based  on  the  average  profits  of  the  last 
three  years,  to  acquire  any  or  all  of  the  licenses 
within  its  jurisdiction.  At  the  same  time  the  powers 
possessed  by  the  licensing  justices  and  committees 
might  be  vested  in  the  councils,  only  with  an  appeal 
to  the  high  court  of  justice,  and  subject  to  the  pro- 
vision that  no  new  license  should  be  granted  until  the 
proportion  had  been  reduced  to,  say,  one  in  five 
hundred  of  the  population. 

"Power  should  be  given  to  the  councils  to  deal 
with  all,  or  any,  of  the  houses  acquired  by  them,  in 
any  of  the  following  ways,  namely :  (a)  To  abandon 
them  altogether ;  (6)  to  grant  licenses  to  the  highest 
bidder  under  conditions  to  be  fixed  by  the  council,  and 
fora  period  not  exceeding  five  years  ;  (c)  to  carry  on 
the  trade  in  the  present  premises,  rented  or  purchased 


LICENSING  SYSTEMS.  61 

for  the  purpose,  under  the  conduct  of  managers,  with 
remuneration  independent  of  the  amount  of,  or  profit 
on,  the  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks. 

"  In  the  last  two  cases  the  amount  received  from  the 
sale  of  licenses,  or  as  profit  from  the  traffic,  should  be 
carried  to  a  license  fund,  to  be  applied  as  follows: 
(1)  To  pay  interest  on  all  loans  contracted  for  pur- 
chase of  license  on  premises;  (2)  to  create  a  sinking 
fund  to  extinguish  loans  in  twenty  years  from  date ; 
(3)  to  pay  all  costs  of  management  and  expenses  of 
carrying  out  the  act ;  (4)  to  buy  up  and  extinguish 
licenses  till  the  maximum  proportion  of  one  to  five 
hundred  of  the  population  has  been  reached ;  (5)  the 
surplus,  if  any,  to  be  used,  first,  in  securing  the  earlier 
repayment  of  the  loans  contracted  till  these  are 
wholly  liquidated,  and  chen  the  balance  to  be  carried 
to  the  credit  of  the  education-rate,  and  poor-rate,  in 
fixed  proportions." 

These  were  the  views  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  at  that 
time.  Afterwards  he  modified  them  in  various  par- 
ticulars. He  relinquished  the  plan  of  compensating 
the  publicans  on  the  profits  of  the  last  three  years, 
discarding  the  idea  of  granting  licenses  to  anyone, 
and  leaving  the  entire  matter  to  Parliament.  Instead 
of  buying  up  a  part  of  the  public  drinking  houses  he 
proposed  to  buy  them  all ;  and  in  the  place  of  a 
fixed  principle  of  valuation,  he  insisted  that  the  town 
should  be  ready  to  pay  whatever  Parliament  may 
choose  to  decide. 

The  forcible  suppression  of  a  trade,  made  lawful  by 
the  possession  of  licenses  from  competent  authorities, 


62  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

would  establish  a  principle  on  which  Parliament  dare 
not  venture;  consequently  Mr.  Chamberlain's  plan 
was  not  carried  into  effect.  To  do  so  would  have 
given  an  immense  influence  to  the  town  council, 
who  are  too  often  the  paid  subjects  of  the  liquor  ring. 
Such  monopolies  are  dangerous  to  individual  and 
political  interests.  Any  law  that  is  founded  on  taking 
forcibly  from  a  man  his  legitimate  means  of  livelihood, 
no  matter  how  disreputable  it  appears  in  the  eyes  of 
the  community,  is  an  unjust  one  and  does  not  deserve 
the  support  of  the  people.  The  privilege  he  enjoys 
was  granted  him  by  the  constituted  authorities,  for 
which  he  paid  the  sum  they  demanded  of  him ;  and 
to  deprive  him  of  the  right  to  maintain  a  business 
made  lawful  by  such  legal  enactments,  is  a  violation 
of  every  principle  of  equity,  and  could  not  fail  'to 
be  disastrous  in  its  effects,  and  do  no  good  whatever 
in  reforming  the  drinking  habits  of  the  community. 

The  other  system  of  licensing  recommended  by  the 
committee  appointed  by  the  House  of  Lords,  was  one 
that  had  its  origin  in  Gothenburg,  Sweden.  Some 
wealthy  citizens  of  that  city  formed  a  company  for 
controlling  the  sale  of  liquor  in  their  district.  They 
purchased  enough  for  the  demand  of  the  town  and 
allowed  none  but  their  own  employes,  or  parties  au- 
thorized by  the  association,  to  sell  it  out  to  the  people. 
All  intoxicating  liquors  had  to  be  procured  from  the 
company,  and  no  person  was  allowed  to  profit  by  the 
sale,  except  as  it  indirectly  increased  his  trade  in  other 
goods. 

The   larger  cities  of  Sweden   did   not   adopt  the 


LICENSING  SYSTEMS.  63 

Gothenburg  plan.  A  monopoly  of  any  kind  is  not 
usually  relished  by  the  masses.  A  law  that  is  not  of 
permanent  benefit  or  of  universal  application,  will 
not  command  the  support  of  the  people  at  large. 

Another  method .  of  licensing  worthy  of  notice  is 
one  that  is  practiced  in  Brattleboro,  England.  A 
detail  of  a  particular  case  will  show  the  practical 
workings  of  the  plan : — 

A  is  intoxicated,  and  because  of  such  intoxication 
becomes  a  disturber  of  the  peace.  He  is  arrested 
and  sent  to  the  lock-up,  and  when  sober  is  brought 
before  a  magistrate  and  fined  $5.00  and  costs.  In  de- 
fault of  payment  he  is  committed  to  the  county  jail, 
where  he  remains  until  the  fine  is  paid.  In  his  ex- 
amination he  is  compelled  under  the  law  to  disclose 
where  he  obtained  his  liquor  (the  law  is  imperative 
on  this  point).  The  liquor- seller  is  then  arrested,  and 
if  the  offense  is  proved,  he  is  fined  $10  and  costs,  and, 
if  the  case  is  aggravated,  a  larger  fine  is  affixed. 

This  law  was  practically  in  the  hands  of  the  bailiffs 
of  the  villages,  or  the  common  council  of  larger 
towns.  Another  of  its  features  was  the  closing  of  all 
saloons  on  Sundays. 

In  other  places  than  Brattleboro  the  enforcement 
of  this  law  has  been  attended  with  only  partial  suc- 
cess. Every  form  of  deception  and  perjury  was  re- 
sorted to  by  the  people  to  defeat  its  establishment, 
thus  developing  a  condition  of  morals  that  could 
hardly  be  worse  than  intemperance  itself. 

France,  Italy,  Spain,  Hungary  and  Germany  have 
no  restrictive  laws  as  regards  intoxicating  drinks,  and 


64  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

still  there  is  very  little  immoderate  drinking  in  these 
countries ;  while  our  statute  books  and  those  of  Great 
Britain  are  filled  with  prohibitory  laws,  and  yet  in- 
temperance is  a  national  vice. 

To  raise  a  revenue  by  the  sale  of  that  which  de- 
bases the  people,  is  not  only  a  prolific  source  of  crime 
and  pauperism,  but  the  cost  to  the  country,  annually* 
is  many  times  more  than  the  sums  received  there- 
from. Therefore  it  will  be  seen  that  from  a  pecun- 
iary point  of  view,  even,  the  policy  of  these  laws  is 
doubtful. 

As  regards  high  and  low  license,  the  basis  of  the 
two  is  the  same,  the  only  difference  being  that  high 
license  decreases  the  number  of  saloons ;  but,  it  is  a 
practical  illustration  of  the  vicious  principle  of  one 
law  for  the  rich,  and  another  for  the  poor. 

No  valid  objection  can  be  raised  against  the  licens- 
ing system  per  se  as  a  means  of  raising  the  necessary 
governmental  revenue;  but  there  is  just  cause  for 
censure  when  discriminations  are  made.  There  should 
be  an  equal  taxation  on  every  business  in  proportion 
to  the  amount  of  capital  employed  and  the  income 
derived  therefrom.  Such  uniform  licensing  would 
render  every  occupation  legitimate  in  the  eyes  of  the 
law.  It  is  no  extenuation  to  say  that  the  business 
for  which  the  higher  license  is  charged,  is  not  con- 
sidered equally  reputable.  If  this  is  really  the  case, 
a  license  should  not  have  been  granted,  but  if  granted, 
this  act  of  the  authorities  renders  the  business,  by 
law,  thoroughly  respectable,  and  they  have  no  right 
to  go  back  of  their  own  action.  Their  discrimination 


LICENSING  SYSTEMS.  65 

against  saloons,  therefore,  is  unjust  and  not  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  spirit  of  the  law. 

Admitting  that  saloons  are,  as  a  rule,  disreputable, 
and  saloon-keepers  notoriously  bad  citizens,  yet  they 
have  a  right  to  equal  privilege  and  protection  under  a 
law  that  has  licensed  their  business. 

After  a  careful  examination  of  the  subject,  we  are 
forced  to  acknowledge-  that  no  method  of  licensing  so 
far  employed,  has  been  a  successful  means  of  over- 
coming the  evil  of  intemperance.  We  must  look  to 
other  ways  for  its  accomplishment. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


AMERICAN   LIQUOR   LAWS. 

LONG  before  the  temperance  movement  was  afoot, 
English  and  American  statesmen  thought  it  an  abso- 
lute necessity  to  place  legal  restraint  on  the  liquor 
traffic,  and  so  inaugurated  special  license  systems,  to 
meet  the  exigencies  of  the  case.  This  arrangement 
undoubtedly  led  to  fewer  numbers  of  dealers,  for 
previously  the  profits  of  the  business  were  so  great, 
and  the  amount  of  capital  and  skill  required  so  little, 
that  there  was  a  constant  pressure  into  it  of  the 
indolent,  shiftless  and  vicious;  but  it  also  lent  moral 
support  to  the  traffic  by  giving  it  the  sanction  of  law 
It  may  well  be  asked  if  society,  as  a  corporate  body, 
is  justified  in  legalizing  the  office  of  tempter  in  plac- 
ing before  the  weak  and  untrained,  temptations  to 
which  they  in  their  present  moral  condition,  must 
inevitably  succumb;  then  afterwards  adding  to  the 
misery  of  such  unfortunates  a  penalty,  while  at  the 
same  time  upholding  by  law  the  cause  of  their  degra- 
dation. 

For  more  than  forty  years  a  persistent  and  ener- 
getic agitation  has  been  maintained  in  the  more  pop- 
ulous States  of  the  Union  on  the  liquor  problem. 
There  is  hardly  a  remedy  suggested  by  the  mind  of 
man  that  has  not  been  used  to  stay  the  growing  evil 
of  intemperance. 
(66) 


AMERICAN  LIQUOR  LAWS.  67 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  Federal 
Government  asserts  the  right  to  grant  licenses  through 
its  own  officers  for  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  in 
every  State  in  the  Union.  The  United  States  Com- 
missioners will  grant  a  license  to  any  citizen  in  the 
State,  on  the  payment  of  $25,  to  sell  spirituous 
liquors  in  their  original  packages  as  imported,  which 
cannot  be  seized  by  the  State  authorities. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  this  law  must,  from 
its  very  nature,  thwart  in  a  great  measure  the  suc- 
cess of  any  local  or  State  prohibitory  law. 

Maine  has  been  the  leading  State  in  the  prohibition 
movement.  The. following  is  a  synopsis  of  the  laws 
adopted  in  her  Legislature  in  1851 : — 

FIRST    SECTION 

Prohibits  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquor  except  as  is  hereinafter  provided. 

SECOND  SECTION 

Authorizes  Select  Men,  Mayor  and  Aldermen,  to  ap- 
point an  agent  to  sell  intoxicating  liquor  for  medic- 
inal and  manufacturing  purposes  and  no  other. 

THIRD  SECTION 

Gives  bonds  for  faithful  performance. 

FOURTH  SECTION 

Describes  penalties  for  violation. 

FIFTH   SECTION 

Prescribes  the  mode  of  applying  the  law  to  offenders. 

SIXTH  SECTION 

Treats  of  appeal. 


68  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

SEVENTH    SECTION 

Treats  of  agents  who  perfect  their  bonds. 

EIGHTH  SECTION 

Treats  of  makers  and  common  sellers. 

NINTH   SECTION 

Excludes  persons  engaged  in  unlawful  traffic  in  in- 
toxicating liquors  from  juries  and  cases  arising  under 
this  act. 

TENTH  SECTION 

Gives  precedence  in  court  over  all  other  business  on 
appeal. 

ELEVENTH  SECTION 

Authorizes  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  or  any  Municipal 
or  Police  Judge  to  grant  a  warrant  of  search  to  any 
Sheriff,  City  Marshal,  or  any  constable  who  shall  pro- 
ceed to  search  the  premises  described  in  said  warrant 
on  the  affidavit  of  three  reputable  persons.  If  any 
spirituous  or  intoxicating  liquors  be  found,  such 
liquors  are  forfeited  to  the  State. 

The  other  sections  describe  the  mode  and  manner 
of  proceedings  on  appeal,  convictions,  forfeitures  and 
penalties. 

So  completely  does  the  list  cover  the  entire  ques- 
tion that  escape  by  the  quirks  and  subtleties  of  law 
is  almost  an  impossibility.  The  punishment  of  the 
first  offense  is  $10  fine;  of  the  second,  $20  fine  and 
costs;  of  the  third  offense,  $20  fine  and  costs,  and 
in  addition,  imprisonment  of  from  three  to  six  months. 

This  law  was  tried  and   subsequently  abandoned 


AMERICAN  LIQUOR  LAWS.  69 

in  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 
It  still  remains  in  the  statutes  of  New  Hamphire, 
but  is  not  enforced.  In  Vermont  it  is  as  stringently 
carried  out  as  in  Maine.  Similar  laws  have  been 
enacted  with  more  or  less  success  in  Iowa,  Kansas 
and  several  other  States. 

Massachusetts  has  recently  passed  a  law  under  pro- 
vision of  which  licenses  of  five  different  classes  are 
granted : — 

First ,  To  sell  liquors  of  any  kind  to  be  drunk  on 
the  premises. 

Second,  To  sell  malt  liquors,  cider,  and  light  wines 
to  be  drunk  on  the  premises. 

Third,  To  sell  malt  liquors  and  cider,  to  be  drunk 
on  the  premises. 

Fourth,  To  sell  liquors  of  any  kind  not  to  be  drunk 
on  the  premises. 

Fifth,  To  sell  malt  liquors,  cider  and  light  wines  not 
to  be  drunk  on  the  premises. 

The  penalties  for  selling  to  minors  and  for  any 
injury  done  by  an  intoxicated  person,  or  loss  sustained 
on  account  of  such  intoxication,  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  State  of  Ohio.  In  the  latter  State  and  in  Michigan, 
there  are  clauses  in  their  constitutions,  forbidding  the 
granting  of  licenses  "  to  sell  in  any  quantity  intoxi- 
cating liquors  to  be  drunk  in,  upon,  or  about  the 
building  or  premises,  or  to  sell  such  intoxicating 
liquor  to  be  drunk  in  any  adjoining  room,  building, 
or  premises,  or  other  place  of  public  resort  connected 
with  such  building." 

Places  where  intoxicating  liquors  are  sold  in  viola- 


70          ,  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

tiou  of  this  act,  are  declared  nuisances,  and  power  is 
given  to  the  authorities  to  close  them. 

The  seller  of  such  liquors  to  minors,  or  to  any  in- 
toxicated person,  or  to  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
drinking  to  excess,  is  subject  to  a  fine  and  imprison- 
ment, and  to  damages  which  the  wife,  child,  parent, 
guardian,  or  other  party  who  shall  be  injured  in  per- 
son, or  property,  or  means  of  support  in  consequence, 
can  lawfully  collect. 

The  prohibitory  laws  of  Michigan  are  more  effect- 
ive than  those  of  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 
When  appeal  is  taken  to  her  Superior  Court,  the 
accused  has  to  file  bonds  in  the  sum  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars,  with  not  less  tha/i  two  good  and  suffi- 
cient sureties,  conditioned  that  during  the  pending  of 
the  suit  he  will  not  sell  intoxicating  drinks. 

In  considering  local  option  from  a  superficial 
standpoint,  it  seems  perfectly 'right  that  a  majority  in 
any  town  or  district  should  be  justified  in  deciding 
whether  spirituous  liquors  should  or  should  not  be 
sold  in  their  particular  locality. 

This  subject,  however,  does  not  come  within  the 
province  of  law  or  politics ;  it  is  one  of  individual 
rights.  In  a  question  of  law,  the  people  have  the 
privilege  of  duly  electing  their  chosen  men  for  the 
Legislature  and  of  sending  their  representatives  to 
Congress  to  decide  by  a  majority  vote  if  such  and  such 
a  law  shall  be  passed.  Laws  are  not  made  to  prevent  a 
man  from  doing  either  right  or  wrong.  He  is  always 
at  liberty  to  do  what  he  pleases,  but  if  his  act  violates 
a  law,  he  must  suffer  the  penalty  which  the  law  inflicts 
for  such  violation. 


AMERICAN  LIQUOR  LAWS.  71 

In  politics,  also,  the  people  have  the  right  to  de- 
cide by  vote  which  party  shall  hold  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment in  towns,  cities,  State  and  nation ;  but  the 
question  of  drinking  liquor  is  a  personal  one,  and 
cannot  be  regarded  as  a  crime,  per  se.  For  a  majority, 
then,  in  any  community  to  deny  the  minority  the 
right  to  do  what  is  not  a  crime,  would  be  interfering 
with  individual  rights.  Such  interference  is  always 
despotic  and  not  to  be  tolerated  by  a  free  govern- 
ment. The  establishment  of  local  option  under  pro- 
hibitory laws  can  only  be  considered  as  a  far  greater 
evil  than  that  of  intemperance,  for  it  attacks  the 
fundamental  and  most  vital  principle  of  civil  liberty. 

A  bill  on  this  question  was  submitted  to  the  Par- 
liament of  Great  Britain  a  few  years  ago  by  the 
"United  Kingdom  Alliance  for  the  Keform  of  the 
License  Laws/'  which  reads  as  follows :  "  That  inas- 
much as  the  ancient  and  avowed  object  of  licensing 
the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  is  to  supply  a  sup- 
posed public  want,  without  detriment  to  the  public 
welfare,  the  House  is  of  opinion  that  a  legal  power  of 
restraining  the  issue  or  renewal  of  licenses  should' 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  persons  most  deeply  inter- 
ested and  affected,  namely,  the  inhabitants  them- 
sellves,  who  are  entitled  to  protection,  from  the  in- 
jurious consequences  of  the  present  system,  by  some 
effective  measure  of  local  option." 

Two  hundred  and  fifty-two  of  the  members  voted 
against  the  bill,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  for 
it.  The  objections  urged  against  it  were,  first :  that 
it  would  not  be  just  to  make  a  general  law  to 


72  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

vent  the  innocent  use  of  an  article  because  some 
had  abused  it;  second:  that  it  would  be  less  just 
to  intrust  such  power  to  a  local  majority ;  third : 
that  this  same  power  to  choose  between  enforcing  or 
withdrawing  this  prohibition,  would  not  be  a  practi- 
cal remedy  for  intemperance." 

It  is  difficult  to  see  wherein  it  would  be  more  just 
for  a  majority  to  dictate  to  the  people  what  they 
should  drink,  than  to  say  what  they  should  eat,  or 
to  prevent  the  minority  from  procuring  that  which 
they  may  consider  necessary  to  their  health  and  hap- 
piness, so  long  as  they  respect  the  rights  of  others. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


SUMPTUARY  LAWS.    * 

EFFORTS  are  being  continually  made  by  various 
clergymen  and  members  of  churches  to  compel  the 
Legislatures  of  different  States  to  pass  laws  to  prevent 
what  they  regard  as  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath. 

It  is  not  in  our  province  to  discuss  polemics  any 
farther  than  to  comprehend  in  what  religionists  elect 
to  deprive  the  people.  Has  the  term  "  desecration  " 
any  specific  meaning  alike  interpreted  by  all  classes, 
or  is  it  variously  understood  ? 

In  discussing  this  question  we  are  confronted  at  the 
outset  with  the  undoubted  fact  that  what  one  consci- 
entious person  esteems  a  wrong,  may  be  regarded  as 
perfectly  right  and  justifiable  by  another  equally 
honest. 

Religious  people,  as  a  rule,  believe  that  attendin:;1 
church  is  an  important  external  evidence  of  their 
moral  status  that  must  be  observed,  no  matter  at 
what  cost  or  deprivation.  They  set  their  disapprov- 
ing seal  on  the  indulgence  of  all  recreations  or  amuse- 
ments of  any  kind  on  the  Sabbath  day,  hoping  to 
resist  the  tide  of  unbelief,  and  to  be  an  aid  to  the 
temperance  cause. 

In  Philadelphia,  in  1860,  through  the  influence  of 
these  Sabbatarians,  the  Crystal  Palace,  Zoological 
Gardens,  libraries,  picture  galleries  and  all  other 


74  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

places  of  amusement,  were  closed  under  the  mistaken 
idea  that  people  would  consequently  flock  into  the 
churches.  On  the  contrary,  a  lower  order  of  recrea- 
tion was  patronized,  the  saloons  and  beer-halls  be- 
came overcrowded ;  the  masses  must  have  amuse- 
ment and  were  not  particular  where  they  went  to 
get  it. 

A  much  better  plan  would  be  to  encourage  all  in- 
nocent diversions,  especially  cheap  excursion  trains  to 
the  open  country.  California  is  particularly  favored 
in  her  suburban  retreats  for  the  toil-worn  city 
laborer  and  his  wife  and  children.  Our  elegantly 
fitted  cable-cars  furnish  an  unrivaled  mode  of  transit 
to  our  parks,  beaches  and  numerous  picnic  grounds, 
where  Nature,  in  this  climate,  is  ever  prodigal  in  her 
gifts.  In  a  recent  sermon  by  Dr.  Harcourt,  of  San 
Francisco,  we  find  the  following  excellent  remarks  on 
the  subject  of  amusements: — 

"Many  of  us  have  drawn  our  somber  ideas  of 
religion  from  paganism.  We  have  somehow  formed 
the  idea  that  black  is  the  color  most  pleasing  to 
heaven.  Most  of  us  have  lingering  around  us  the 
idea  that  a  good  laugh  is  not  heavenly,  and  therefore 
ought  to  be  suppressed.  Away  with  such  nonsense. 
We  may  be  very  happy  and  not  irreligious,  and  we  may 
be  very  solemn  and  not  a  bit  religious.  In  man's  nature 
there  is  a  demand  for  amusement  and  recreation,  and 
the  church  of  the  future  cannot  afford  to  overlook 
this  fact  nor  fail  to  meet  it.  I  believe  in  a  healthy 
Christianity,  a  Christianity  with  sunshine  in  it.  We 
have  had  enough  of  the  sixteenth  century  sort.  I 


SUMPTUARY  LAWS.  75 

only  know  of  it  from  history  and  the  traces  of  it  yet 
lingering  around  some  creeds,  but  the  more  I  know 
of  it  the  less  I  think  of  my  ancestors.  I  do  not  want 
the  church  of  the  nineteenth  century  to  drift  back 
to  the  moldiness  and  the  stupidity  of  the  Dark  Ages. 
I  believe  in  all  natural  and  healthful  amusements. 
The  more  the  better  when  under  proper  restraints. 
The  great  danger  of  the  American  people  is  not  over- 
play but  overwork.  We  have  little  time  for  any- 
thing else  in  our  pursuit  after  the  almighty  dollar." 

Dr.  Harcourfr  further  stated  that  he  steadfastly  be- 
lieved that  the  theater  might  be  made  to  serve  as 
noble  an  end  as  the  pulpit,  but  that  it  ever  would,  .he 
seriously  doubted. 

•  At  the  best,  the  working  classes  can  have  but  one 
day  out  of  the  seven  to  spend  in  such  health-giving 
recreations,  and  the  week's  work  afterwards  will  be 
more  cheerfully  resumed.  A  ride  or  walk  through  a 
flower-fringed  park  or  along  a  glorious  sea-beach  is  of- 
ten an  inducement  to  people  to  forego  a  less  innocent 
pleasure,  and,  therefore,  should  be  esteemed  an  aid  to 
morality  and  a  legitimate  right  to  city  residents.  This 
privilege  to  the  poor  is  of  inestimable  value,  and 
should  not  be  underrated  by  the  wealthier  class,  who 
may  enjoy  themselves  as  they  please  during  the  week, 
and  can,  therefore,  be  better  contented  to  remain 
housed  up  in  church  on  Sundays.  Viewed  in  this 
light  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  convince  working 
people  that  the  Sabbath  should  not  be  rightfully 
regarded  a  day  of  rest  and  recreation  rather  than 
of  austere  observances.  Many  of  them  are  Ger- 


76  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

mans,  or  of  German  extraction,  and  have  been  care- 
fully trained  in  these  habits.  They  are  notedly 
fond  of  music  and  the  drama,  and  are  never  so  happy 
as  when  enjoying  both,  surrounded  by  their  entire 
family,  and  it  is  a  beautiful  trait  in  his  character  that 
such  a  pleasure  would  be  incomplete  to  him  without 
his  "frau"  and  " kinder"  Any  law  abridging  their 
Sunday  liberties  must,  therefore,  be  especially  ob- 
noxious to  them,  and  they  comprise  a  large  portion 
of  our  most  desirable  population.  That  their  social 
habits  are  not  particularly  derogatory  to  morals  the 
German  character  demonstrates.  They  are  an  hon- 
est, industrious,  home-loving  people,  who  seldom  find 
their  way  to  our  almshouses  or  jails. 

Coming  to  our  country  with  habits  and  customs  al- 
ready formed,  Germans  naturally  prefer  mutual  asso- 
ciation where  they  can  introduce  among  themselves  the 
peculiar  enjoyments  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed 
for  generations  past.  As  all  these  simple  recreations 
are  peaceable  and  law-abiding,  it  is  unjust  to  legislate 
them  out  of  existence.  It  is  interfering  with  the  divine 
prerogative  of  man  and  is  both  arbitrary  and  unconstitu- 
tional. No  one  has  a  right  to  dictate  to  another  how 
he  shall  spend  his  Sundays  so  long  as  his  habits  do 
not  infringe  on  those  of  his  neighbor.  Such  dictation 
will  not  be  endured  by  any  class  of  American  citizens, 
and  only  tends  to  create  antagonism  between  the  two 
extremes  of  society.  The  pages  of  history  are  dark- 
ened with  the  wrongs  committed  on  the  people  by 
the  enforcement  of  sumptuary  laws  established  by 
clerical  power,  Now,  however,  the  scepter  has  been 


SUMPTUARY  LAWS.  77 

wrested  from  their  grasp,  and  is  delegated  to  the  public 
press,  who  hold  omnipotent  sway. 

In  the  earnest  efforts  of  the  temperance  advocates  to 
abolish  saloons,  etc.,  they  must  not  omit  the  establish- 
ment of  reading-rooms,  concert-halls,  lunch-parlors,  in 
fact,  any  home-like  place  where  rest  and  innocent  amuse- 
ment can  be  had  as  cheap  as  the  vicious  pastimes 
furnished  in  the  saloons  and  low  dives.  The  latter 
are  crowded  by  the  ruder  elements  of  society  and  are 
among  the  greatest  evils  in  our  large  cities.  They  are 
usually  underground,  and  here  a  low  order  of  theatrical 
performance,  with  villainous  music  and  bad  whisky  and 
beer  are  furnished  to  frequenters  at  cheap  rates.  A 
law  prohibiting  the  keeping  of  such  places  would 
simply  pave  the  road  for  the  creation  of  like  amuse- 
ments in  some  other  way  equally  objectionable. 
The  class  that  visit  these  dives  would  be  out  of  their 
element  in  more  refined  surroundings.  It  would  be 
just  as  reasonable  to  expect  a  Digger  Indian  to  appre- 
ciate the  rapturous  chords  of  Beethoven  or  the  enchant- 
ing notes  of  Jenny  Lind,  as  for  one  of  these  people. 
They  have  been  born-  and  reared  in  circumstances  of 
poverty,  vice  and  wretchedness.  Their  moral  faculties 
are  in  abeyance  to  their  habits  of  drinking,  carousing 
and  passional  indulgences. 

All  progress  and  cultivation  must  be  made  by  slow 
degrees.  A  child  cannot  be  advanced  from  simple 
arithmetic  to  the  higher  branches  of  mathematics  at 
a  single  step.  Time  works  marvelous  changes,  but 
does  it  by  gradual  processes.  One  great  reformation 
that  could  be  made  in  these  dives  would  be  the  pre- 


78  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

vention  of  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  therein. 
Whisky  is  most  frequently  the  cause  of  disturbances, 
and  only'  wine  and  beer,  and  these  unadulterated, 
should  be  sold  to  the  habitues. 

A  proper  conception  of  these  Pariahs  of  the  body 
politic  ought  to  suggest  that  barbarous  tribes  alone 
do  not  need  our  missionaries,  for  the  most  debased  of 
God's  creatures  are  often  our  immediate  neighbors. 

A  few  years  ago,  in  this  State,  the  passing  of  laws 
to  close  up  all  places  of  public  resort  on  Sundays  was 
made  an  issue  at  the  polls.  It  was  voted  down,  and 
the  zealous  advocates  of  this  step  have  never  made 
a  similar  attempt. 

An  ancient  authority  has  wisely  said,  "  The  Sab- 
bath was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  the  Sabbath." 


CHAPTER  XV. 


PROHIBITION. 

THE  fearful  results  of  intemperance  are  so  sadly 
true  that  the  welfare  of  every  household  in  the  land 
may  be  considered  involved  in  the  settlement  of  this 
question.  There  is  an  almost  unanimous  sentiment 
among  all  classes  that  this  state  of  things  should  not 
go  on ;  that  some  kind  of  restriction  must  be  placed 
on  the  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks.  No  one  will  deny 
that  their  excessive  use  is  an  unmixed  evil,  a  vice 
without  a  single  redeeming  feature.  Thus  far  a  rea- 
soning mind  is  on  the  side  of  the  prohibitionist ;  but 
when  he  passes  beyond  the  ground  of  pure  ethics  into 
that  of  practical,  every -day  life,  another  element  is 
introduced  into  the  question,  and  men  seek  to  know 
what  success  prohibitory  laws  have  already  had. 
They  naturally  look  to  Maine,  as  she  has  had  more 
than  thirty  years'  experience  in  suppressing  the  liquor 
traffic.  In  these  efforts  she  has  been  systematically 
upheld  by  her  Legislature.  Civil  and  penal  statutes 
have  been  enacted  and  enforced,  as  thoroughly  as 
was  possible  by  human  agencies,  and  yet  Maine 
cannot  be  regarded  as  remarkable  for  sobriety.  That 
the  people  drink  less  than  they  did,  may  be  true;  but 
this  is  equally  true  of  the  whole  United  States.  In 
this  respect  it  is  admitted  that  there  has  been  a 
material  change  in  the  habits  of  the  people,  and 
Maine  has  been  no  exception.  (79) 


80  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

It  is  no  easy  matter  to  obtain  statistics  as  to  the 
amount  of  liquor  consumed  in  a  State  where  its  sale 
and  use  are  looked  upon  as  a  crime ;  but  enough  is 
known  to  furnish  proof  positive  that  if  prohibitionists 
seek  to  build  their  cause  on  the  successful  operation  of 
the  law  in  Maine,  they  will  find  but  a  weak  support 
in  her  history  of  the  past  third  of  a  century. 

Michigan  has  the  most  efficient  of  all  the  pro- 
hibitory laws,  and  yet  they  cannot  be  enforced  in 
any  of  the  cities,  or  larger  towns  and  villages.  In 
the  more  populous  portions  of  the  State  it  has  be- 
come a  dead  letter. 

Owing  to  the  large  proportion  of  foreign-born 
citizens  in  Iowa,  the  prohibitory  laws  of  that  State 
are  not  in  successful  operation. 

The  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  in  his  message  to 
the  State  Legislature,  declares  that  -u  prohibitory  laws 
are  sadly  inefficient  for  want  of  a  proper  public  senti- 
ment to  support  them.  The  attempt  to  enforce  pro- 
hibition is  a  thankless  undertaking,  for,  though  it 
may  represent  public  opinion,  yet  the  carrying  out 
of  a  law  is  almost  wholly  dependent  upon  the  public 
will,  as  contra-distinguished  from  the  public  opinion. 
Without  a  will,  the  way  cannot  be  found.'* 

The  above  message  is  an  expression  of  the  common 
experience  in  every  State  that  has  prohibitory  laws. 

A  writer  in  the  Philadelphia  Review  says : — 

"In  Portland,  Maine,  and  in  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  I  have  seen  more  drunkards,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  population,  than  I  ever  saw  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  there  are  1,500  saloons  too  many. 


PROHIBITION.  81 

No  matter  how  the  liquor  business  is  prohibited, 
liquor  will  be  sold  as  long  as  there  is  a  profit  in  the 
business.  Old  drunkards  will  have  their  dram,  no 
matter  what  it  costs.  Neal  Dow  has  fought  the  liquor 
interests  here  for  thirty  years  or  more,  and  yet  there 
is  as  much  sold  and  drunk  here  to-day  as  in  other 
cities  of  its  size  in  the  country.  An  American  citizen 
is  an  independent  being.  If  you  say  he  shall  not, 
he  will,  in  spite  of  all  law,  restrictions,  etc.,  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.  I  have  been  a  personal 
observer  of  prohibition  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Kansas,  and  towns  in  Colorado,  and  must  confess 
that  it  is  a  farce  that  often  does  more  harm  than 
good.  There  is  not  a  practical  man  in  the  nation 
but  t'o-day  is  convinced  that  prohibition  is  a  failure." 

As  an  evidence  of  the  many  subterfuges  and  ex- 
cuses resorted  to  in  order  to  secure  liquor,  we  insert 
the  following  somewhat  humorous  account  taken 
from  a  Kansas  paper : — 

"  Whisky  solo?  in  drug-stores,  that  are  gin-mills  on 
the  sly,  is  not  usually  very  good  stuff.  Your  old 
drinker  has  no  faith  in  the  cocktail  cure  of  the 
apothecary  shop.  In  one  Kansas  county,  where  the 
prohibition  law  is  in  force,  2,812  sales  of  liquor  for 
one  month  are  recorded  in  the  drug-stores ;  an  amount 
of  nine  cases,  788  quarts,  and  2,154  bottles.  Almost 
every  man  pretended  that  something  was  the  matter 
with  him.  Lager  beer  was  the  most  popular  medi- 
cine. Of  all  the  ailments  affected,  indigestion  was 
the  most  common.  It  appeared  to  be  epidemic 
throughout  the  county.  After  it  came  biliousness, 
6 


82  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

and  whisky  was  claimed  to  be  its  only  antidote. 
Heavy  colds,  also,  accumulated,  and  there  was  much 
general  debility,  and  a  fearful  lot  of  ague.  One  could 
be  sure  that  it  was  the  latter  by  the  way  the  old 
hands  shook. 

"  What  we  most  admire  about  these  Kansas  people 
is  their  wonderful  ingenuity  in  devising  complaints 
that  required  the  immediate  application  of  some 
spirituous  mixture.  One  man  wished  whisky  to  bathe 
his  wife ;  another  needed  it  for  his  horse's  shoulder ; 
a  humane  individual  desired  it  for  his  cow,  which  had 
some  peculiar  disorder,  and  his  friend  thought  his 
colt  was  similarly  afflicted  ;  while  a  third  man  wished 
to  try  it  on  a  favorite  mule.  In  fact,  during  a  single 
week  more  than  a  dozen  horses  required  whisky  or 
brandy,  three  men  had  a  touch  of  sun-stroke,  and 
one  more  feared  he  had  been  bitten  by  a  mad  dog, 
while  the  calls  from  women  for  brandy  and  wine  for 
mince  pies  and  puddings  were  an  every-day  occur- 
rence." 

That  prohibitory  laws  have  disappointed  the  san- 
guine hopes  of  their  honest  advocates,  and  done  little 
to  reduce  the  number  of  drunkards,  few  can  question. 
No  one  doubts  the  zeal  and  indefatigable  energy  of 
the  noble  men  and  women  who  have  brought  about 
this  movement,  and  wherever  they  have  lessened  the 
number  of  saloons,  and  thus  been  the  means  of  re- 
moving temptation  from  the  people,  they  deserve  the 
thanks  and  "  Godspeed  "  of  every  true  heart  in  the 
nation.  If  they  have  in  a  great  measure  failed  in 
their  cherished  object,  they  have  worked  from  a  good 
motive. 


PROHIBITION.  83 

"We  insert  the  following  excerpts  taken  from  articles 
published  in  the  New  York  Nation  several  years  ago, 
which  give  some  very  excellent  reasons  why  prohi- 
bition cannot  be  successfully  carried  out : — 

"  Such  a  law,  if  enforced,  would  be  disobeyed  and 
evaded  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  even  by  people 
of  reputable  character.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  that 
the  drinking  habits  of  society  are  as  old  as  the  race 
itself,  and  to  attempt  their  eradication  by  special 
legislation,  is  an  absolutely  hopeless  undertaking. 

"  The  instincts  of  personal  freedom  are  so  indelibly 
instilled  into  the  American  mind  that  prohibitory 
laws  are  naturally  more  objectionable  to  them  than 
they  could  possibly  be  to  any  other  people.  Any 
police  interference  with  their  customs  is  odious  and 
offensive,  and  cannot  fail  to  engender  a  spirit  of  oppo- 
sition. 

"/$&  taking  of  some  kind  of  stimulating  drink  is 
as^deiated  with  the  most  important  events  in  the  lives 
of  a  great  many.  On  occasions  of  births,  marriages, 
and  happy  meetings  of  friends,  the  social  glass  together 
has  been  esteemed  for  ages  the  most  effective  mode  of 
expressing  feeling.  There  is  nothing  in  the  history 
of  human  nature  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  it 
will  ever  be  possible  to  prohibit  acts  by  law  which 
in  themselves  are  considered  harmless,  because  based 
on  the  fact  that  excess  in  the  commission  of  them  is 
hurtful.  We  all  should  set  a  good  example,  but 
w  l.i ether  we  are  called  upon  to  refrain  from  doing 
that  which  is  not  wrong  in  itself,  for  the  sake  of  pre- 
venting others  from  over-indulgence,  is  a  question 


84  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

that  must  be  left  to  each,  individual  to  decide  for  him- 
self. It  is  argued  that  alcohol  is  a  poison,  and  there- 
fore its  use  should  be  prohibited.  So  are  quinine, 
morphia,  and  most  other  drugs,  when  taken  in  excess, 
yet  no  one  would  expect  their  use  to  be  prohibited  by 
law. 

"  To  strive  to  promote  the  interests  of  what  is  con- 
ceived to  be  a  good  cause,  is  highly  commendable; 
but  the  intolerant-  spirit  with  which  the  disciples  of 
total  abstinence  too  often  seek  to  enforce  their  doc- 
trines and  practices  upon  other  members  of  society, 
is  very  reprehensible." 

All  human  laws,  to  be  of  benefit  to  the  people, 
must  be  based  upon  the  divine  law  of  right  and  justice. 
The  founders  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
aimed  to  have  this  law  as  its  governing  principle. 
Liberty  of  thought  and  action  is  insured  to  every 
man  thereby,  so  long  as  he  does  not  trespass  on  the 
rights  of  others. 

All  laws,  State  or  federal,  must  be  in  accord  with 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  no  State 
lias  the  right  to  pass  any  law  which-  conflicts  with  it. 
A  law,  to  be  just  and  reasonable,  must  be  capable 
of  universal  and  impartial  administration.  These 
postulates  we  think  will  not  be  disputed. 

The  question  now  arises,  Will  laws  for  the  pro- 
hibition of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquors  stand  these  tests?  Maine,  and  some  other 
States,  have  passed  laws  prohibiting  within  their 
boundaries  the  manufacture,  sale,  and  importation  of 
spirituous  liquors,  either  wholly  or  under  onerous 


PROHIBITION.  85 

restrictions.  As  a  consequence,  distilleries  and  brew- 
eries have  been  closed,  and  this,  too,  without  com- 
pensating their  owners.  Can  such  laws  be  equally 
felt  by  these  men  and  the  rest  of  the  community? 
They  were  engaged  in  a  business  made  legal  by  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  for  neither  of  these  indus- 
tries is  prohibited  thereby. 

There  are  not  less  than  one  million  of  the  popu- 
lation of  this  country  that  are  lawfully  employed  in 
making  and  selling  intoxicants.  In  those  States 
where  distilleries  and  breweries  are  allowed  to  carry 
on  their  trade,  every  gallon  of  beer  or  spirits  manu- 
factured is  taxed  by  the  Federal  Government,  yield- 
ing in  the  aggregate  an  enormous  revenue.  It  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  the  United  States  is  thus  legal- 
izing, and  profiting  by,  what  should  be  regarded  as 
an  unlawful  calling.  Therefore,  no  State  has  a  right 
to  close  up  industries  that  are  made  lawful  by  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  thus  rendering  valueless 
property  that  can  only  be  used  in  the  business  for 
which  it  was  intended.  Such  laws  on  the  part  of  the 
State  are  arbitrary,  tyrannical,  and  unconstitutional. 
These  establishments  supply  a  want  in  the  commu- 
nity which,  from  the  immense  consumption  of  their 
products,  must  rather  be  considered  a  necessity  than 
an  article  of  luxury,  as  prohibitionists  contend  when 
urging  their  extinction. 

People  who  do  not  feel  disposed  to  forego  the  use 
of  these  beverages  are  compelled  to  provide  themselves 
clandestinely  by  evasive  means.  This  patronizing  of 
other  States  for  what  should  be  manufactured  in  their 


86  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

own,  not  only  increases  the  cost  of  liquor,  but  also 
encourages  the  crime  of  smuggling — if  in  this  case  it 
should  be  esteemed  such.  No  law,  however  stringent, 
can  deter  a  man  in  this  country  from  obtaining  what 
he  wants  if  he  has  the  money  to  pay  for  it. 

The  closing  up  of  these  industries  is  a  pecuniary 
loss  to  the  State  as  well  as  to  ther  individual,  as  it 
prevents  both  foreign  and  interstate  commerce,  the 
investment  of  capital,  and  lessens  taxation,  thus  di- 
rectly and  indirectly  injuring  local  trade,  and  in 
various  ways  acting  as  an  irritant  to  the  people. 

Some  prohibition  States  have  not  closed  their  dis- 
tilleries and  breweries,  but  have  allowed  them  to  be 
carried  on  under  certain  restrictions.  They  are  per- 
mitted to  manufacture,  but  only  for  medicinal  and 
manufacturing  purposes,  and  for  exportation  to  other 
States.  This  disregard  for  the  moral  welfare  of 
their  neighbors,  while  protecting  their  own  State 
from  demoralizing  influences,  is  hardly  in  accordance 
with  the  principle,  "  Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself." 
Then  again  those  States  where  prohibitory  laws  are 
not  in  force  enjoy  more  or  less  monopoly  in  these 
industries,  which  has  the  effect  of  increasing  their 
own  wealth  at  the  expense  of  the  others. 

Total  prohibition  is  absolutely  impossible  under 
the  existing  laws  of  the  United  States,  which  legalizes 
the  manufacture  of  intoxicants,  and  grants  licenses 
for  the  sale  of  spirituous  and  other  liquors  in  original 
packages  in  any  State  in  the  Union  upon  payment 
of  a  specified  sum. 

In  preceding  pages  we   have   given  a  synopsis  of 


PROHIBITION.  87 

the  prohibitory  laws  of  different  States,  all  of  which 
have  a  like  basis,  and  need  not,  therefore,  be  dis- 
cussed seriatim  under  this  heading.  The  principle 
involved  in  each  of  them  is  that  of  coercion.  It  was 
this  principle  which  instigated  the  religious  intoler- 
ance of  the  so-called  Dark  Ages,  where  for  more  than 
a  thousand  years  unsuccessful  efforts  were  made  by 
cruel  and  tyrannical  laws,  to  force  people  into  one 
groove  of  religious  thought. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  in  this  more  enlightened 
age  we  shall  not  be  equally  slow  in  making  the  dis- 
covery that  coercive  laws  will  not  compel  a  people  to 
adopt  a  universal  belief,  whether  it  be-  in  total  absti- 
nence, religion  or  politics.  It  is  the  application  of  this 
element  of  force  to  crush  out  free  thought  and  free  action 
that  has  done  much  to  retard  the  growth  and  progress 
of  knowledge  and  civilization  in  the  past  centuries. 
Man  can  only  advance  in  both  when  he  is  in  the 
enjoyment  of  physical  and  mental  freedom.  He 
must  have  his  choice  from  the  good  and  evil  fruits 
spread  before  him,  and  his  reward  or  punishment  is 
naturally  evolved  from  the  selection  he  makes.  The 
effect  oft  an  act  is  always  the  direct  consequence  of 
the  existing  cause. 

Moral  suasion  cannot  make  a  favorable  impression 
on  the  mind  while  repressive  laws  are  in  force,  es- 
pecially when  they  trammel  the  personal  liberty 
guaranteed  to  every  citizen  by  our  Government.  A 
man  natt^ally  says,  "  This  is  tyranny,  and  I  will  not 
submit  to  it."  Even  if  the  advice  given  is  good,  and 
suggests  what  he  voluntarily  would  have  done  if  left 


88  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

to  himself,  the  attempt  to  compel  him  arouses  a  spirit 
of  combativeness  which  is  more  or  less  inherent  in 
every  individual.  Indeed,  there  is  no  attribute  of 
the  humah  mind  more  firmly  engrafted  and  more 
easily  aroused  than  this  determined  opposition  to  force. 

What  is  the  result  of  the  attempt  to  enforce  pro- 
hibitory laws  upon  the  drinking  classes  ?  It  arouses 
such  a  spirit  of  indignation  and  hostility  that  they  have 
resort  to  every  manner  of  subterfuge  and  evasion. 
They  meet  together  to  discuss  plans  for  opposition 
and  defense,  form  clubs  for  mutual  support,  and 
drink  more  now  from  very  defiance  than  they  ever 
did  from  inclination.  And  the  liquor  sellers  struggle 
desperately  to  carry  on  the  traffic  in  spite  of  the  law. 
A  business  which  has  a  profit  of  eight  cents  on  every 
ten-cent  drink  is  too  good  a  one  to  give  up  witho  it 
a  strenuous  effort. 

Thousands  of  intelligent  people,  temperate  and 
even  total  abstainers,  do  not  uphold  prohibition  on 
principle;  not  because  they  are  opposed  to  the  cause 
of  temperance,  but  they  say  that  it  is  an  infringement 
of  individual  liberty,  both  unjust  and  unconstitutional; 
that  it  has  a  tendency,  also,  to  create  lawbreakers, 
and  to  cultivate  a  general  disrespect  for  all  laws  when 
they  conflict  with  personal  interests.  Such  condi- 
tions engender  a  hostile  agitation  and  a  spirit  of 
unrest  in  the  minds  of  the  people. 

There  is  probably  no  class  of  citizens  who  oppose 
prohibition  more  zealously  than  our  foreign-born 
population,  particularly  the  German  portion.  We 
have  stated  before  the  reasons  for  this,  which  ought 


PROHIBITION.  89 

to  command  the  consideration  of  every  unprejudiced 
advocate  of  temperance.  Nor  does  all  the  injury  of 
this  coercive  system  fall  alone  on  the  parties  whose 
liberties  are  abridged  There  is  a  reactive  effect,  in 
nowise  beneficial,  felt  by  the  prohibitionists  them- 
selves. They  evince  a  violence  of  opposition  that 
has  often  more  of  combativeness  than  of  principle. 
In  a  late  election  in  California  so  aggressive  was  this 
feeling  that  on  several  occasions  it  almost  led  to  the 
commission  of  crime. 

In  summing  up  the  foregoing  facts  on  this  subject, 
we  arrive  at  the  following  conclusion :  That  pro- 
hibitory laws  have  not  been  a  success  in  redeeming 
the  drunkard,  but  they  have  branded  him  as  a 
criminal.  The  calling  of  the  seller  of  intoxicants  has 
been  rendered  infamous,  and  both  he  and  the  con- 
sumer are  classed  in  the  same  category  with  thieves 
and  other  disturbers  of  the  peace.  And  of  what 
crime  are  they  guilty,  since  neither  the  selling  or 
drinking  of  liquors  is  prohibited  by  the  laws  of  the 
United  States? 

There  is  a  movement  now  on  foot  in  Maine  to  over- 
throw the  prohibitory  policy.  It  has  its  origin  in 
Waldo  County,  and  undoubtedly  means  the  forma- 
tion of  a  license  law  party.  Those  interested  declare 
the  present  prohibitory  law  is  subversive  of  the  per- 
sonal liberty  of  the  citizen,  is  thoroughly  impracti- 
cable in  its  principles,  and  is  a  violation  of  the  most 
important  provisions  of  the  Constitution.  There  is 
every  indication  that  this  opinion  but  voices  the  sen- 
timents of  a  large  number  of  both  Republican  and 


90  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

Democratic  voters.  The  great  preacher,  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  says: — 

"  Prohibitory  laws  are  right  in  principle,  but  as 
they  ca*nnot  be  enforced  it  is  useless  to  enact  them. 
You  may  make  regulations,  but  total  prevention  you 
can  never  have.  Arguments  used  by  temperance 
men  are  often  absurd.  They  say  that  stimulants  of 
every  kind  are  bad,  and  that  all  kinds  of  alcoholic 
drinks  are  inevitable  poisons.  In  trying  to  combat 
intemperance,  physiology  is  a  good  weapon,  good 
cooking  is  another,  rational  amusements  another.  If 
a  man  thinks  it  right  to  drink,  he  ought  not  to  be 
denounced  by  those  who  do  not.  Calvin  said  to  his 
students,  '  Observe  the  Sabbath ;  but  if  any  man  says 
to  you,  you  must  keep  it,  then  break  it  as  a  token  of 
your  Christian  liberty.' 

"  The  story  that  was  gotten  up,  and  is  still  in  cir- 
culation, that  the  wine  which  our  Saviour  made  at 
the  marriage  at  Canaan  was  not  fermented  liquor, 
but  fresh  grape  juice,  is  an  example  of  the  sacrifice 
of  personal  integrity  to  the  interests  of  the  church. 

"  There  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  final  result  of  the 
attempt  to  suppress  the  use  of  liquors  by  prohibition 
may  be  a  relapse  into  a  worse  condition  of  things 
than  prevailed  before  the  temperance  reform  began." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


CAUSES  OF  INTEMPERANCE, 

IN  discussing  this  branch  of  our  subject  we  shall 
find  it  necessary  to  repeat  the  substance  of  former 
statements  in  order  to  impress  certain  things  upon  the 
mind  of  the  reader. 

The  causes  of  intemperance  may  be  treated  under 
two  heads,  the  esoteric  and  the  exoteric.  In  considering 
the  first  we  are  bound  to  emphasize  the  vast  impor- 
tance of  hereditary  influences  as  being  fruitful  sources 
of  a  craving  for  intoxicants.  Few  parents  realize  that 
they  transmit  tastes  and  habits  to  their  offspring 
along  with  a  physical  resemblance.  In  fact,  these  are 
often  more  marked  than  any  facial  likeness.  Espe- 
cially is  this  true  of  a  love  of  stimulating  liquors. 
The  confirmed  habit  of  the  father  or  mother  is,  alas  ! 
too  often  a  direct  heritage  to  the  child. 

The  desire  for  intoxicating  drinks,  thus  transmitted, 
is  often  so  powerful  as  to  make  the  fight  with  it  of 
life-long  duration.  A  physician,  eminent  in  the  pro- 
fession, once  told  me  that  so  great  was  this  inborn 
craving  in  him  that  as  far  back  as  he  could  remember 
the  very  odor  of  whisky  would  cause  the  saliva  to 
stream  from  his  mouth.  Let  it  be  said  to  the  credit 
of  this  brave  man  that  before  he  had  reached  maturity 
he  made  a  solemn  vow  never  to  taste  a  drop  of  liquor, 
and  kept  it  up  to  a  hale  and  hearty  ;i 


[VlTl'BSXTf 


92  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

Many  physicians,  honest  in  their  belief,  are  fre- 
quently responsible  for  the  cultivation  of  intemperate 
habits,  by  their  practice  of  prescribing  spirituous 
liquors  for  trivial  complaints.  Ninety-nine  times  out 
of  a  hundred,  however,  the  patient  would  have  fared 
better  without  it,  and  would  also  have  been  spared  the 
curse  of  having  acquired  a  craving  for  intoxicants  that 
often  results  in  his  ruin. 

Grief,  despondency,  loss  of  fortune  or  friend,  nope- 
less  love,  unhappy  marital  relations,  stimulating  foods 
and  condiments,  excessive  use  of  animal  food,  pastry, 
strong  tea  and  coffee,  particularly  in  persons  of  seden- 
tary habits,  all  have  a  tendency  to  depress  vitality 
and  create  a  desire  for  alcoholic  stimulants;  any  de- 
jection of  spirits,  either  from  physical  or  mental  causes, 
that  induces  a  hopeless,  pessimistic  view  of  life,  is  apt 
to  be  followed  by  an  intense  lounging  for  something 
that  will  give  temporary  relief.  A  .man  thus  af- 
flicted, naturally  resorts  to  whisky,  or  some  other  al- 
coholic liquor,  to  drown  his  sensations,  and  enable  him 
to  forget  himself  for  the  time  being.  Derangement  of 
the  liver  is  often  responsible  for  a  large  surplus  of 
trouble  in  this  world.  A  healthy  stomach  does  not 
crave  stimulants.  A  man  with  a  good  digestion  is 
naturally  cheerful.  The  state  of  the  mind  is  an  al- 
most infallible  guide  as  to  the  condition  of  the  digest- 
ive organs.  Our  insane  asylums  are  peopled  by 
victims  of  dyspepsia,  and  thousands  of  unfortunates 
commit  suicide  every  year  from  the  same  cause. 

The  exoteric  causes  of  intemperance  are  better 
known  to  the  majority  of  people,  and  are  those 


CAUSES  OF  INTEMPERANCE.  93 

combatted  by  advocates  of  total  abstinence.  Of 
these  various  causes,  social  customs  are  probably 
the  most  prolific  source  of  immoderate  drinking. 
Most  men  regard  the  common  practice  of  treating  to 
drinks  a  necessity  to  the  proper  greeting  of  a  friend 
or  acquaintance.  The  contiguity  of  the  ubiquitous 
saloon  furnishes  the  opportunity.  This  custom  seems 
to  be  peculiar  to  Ireland  and  our  country.  In  Ger- 
many a  man  pays  for  what  he  drinks,  which  is  as  it 
should  be.  A  high-spirited  man  should  esteem  it  an 
impertinence  for  another  to  propose  to  pay  for  his 
liquor.  To  entertain  a  friend  in  one's  own  house  and 
to  volunteer  to  pay  for  his  entertainment  in  a  saloon 
are  very  different  things.  The  customs  of  society  are 
tyrannical,  and  too  often  follow  us  through  life,  to  our 
own  detriment. 

The  love  of  conviviality  so  deeply  implanted  in 
most  of  us,  is  another  great  incentive  to  drinking 
habits.  In  the  present  condition  of  society  it  is  an 
almost  universal  belief  that  one  cannot  show  good- 
fellowship  to  one's  friends  without  the  offering  of  spir- 
ituous liquors.  A  man  who  is  secretly  opposed  to 
this  practice  will  often  follow  it  rather  than  to  subject 
himself  to  the  suspicion  of  being  niggardly  or  inhospi- 
table. 

It  i»  frequently  urged  as  a  plea  in  favor  of  the  use 
of  alcohol  by  our  public  speakers,  that  their  brilliancy 
and  eloquence  are  enhanced  by,  and  largely  dependent 
upon,  the  glass  of  spirits  taken  before  ascending  the 
rostrum.  This  habit  of  Daniel  Webster  is  a  common 
illustration  of  the  theory. 


94  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  so  powerful  a  stimulant  does 
away  for  the  time  being  with  all  nervousness  and 
trepidation,  substituting  a  feeling  of  self-satisfaction 
and  confidence.  It  is  done,  however,  at  the  ultimate 
sacrifice  of  the  integrity  of  the  nervous  system,  and 
when  the  habit  is  confirmed,  a  man  is  pitiably  depend- 
ent on  it.  How  much  better  and  braver  it  would  be 
to  live  down  the  first  natural  timidity  by  the  aid 
of  the  higher  stimulant  of  a  determined  will  to 
"  speak  right  on "  that  which  we  know  will  be  of 
benefit  to  our  hearers.  A  man  who  is  "  drunk  with 
conviction,"  as  Emerson  says,  will  not  fail  to  be  more 
eloquent  in  his  earnestness  than  he  who  is  drunk  on 
whisky.  Better  to  follow  such  examples  as  Henry 
Grattan,  the  illustrious  Irish  barrister  and  statesman, 
and  the  renowned  Disraeli,  both  of  whom  made  fail- 
ures of  their  maiden  speeches,  than  voluntarily  to  be 
placed  under  the  dominion  of  that  insatiable  despot, 
Alcohol. 

The  principal  incentive  to  drunkenness  is  the  saloons, 
and  in  their  suppression  we  are  heart  and  soul  with 
the  prohibitionists.  They  are  a  crying  evil  in  the  land, 
and  harm  both  those  who  keep  them  and  the  luck- 
less beings  who  enter  their  accursed  doors.  They  are 
dens  of  infamy,  hot-beds  of  cruelty,  prostitution  and 
every  order  of  crime  known  to  unhappy  humanity. 

It  is  well  known  that  saloons  are  often  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  worst  characters,  who  meet  to  devise  plans 
to  prey  on  the  community ;  that  a  majority  of  the 
homicides  and  assaults  are  committed  in  these  places ; 
that  they  are  schools  of  depravity  and  nurseries  of 


CAUSES  OF  INTEMPERANCE.  95 

licentiousness,  where,  under  the  influence  of  spirituous 
liquors,  all  the  baser  passions  are  excited.  They  are 
the  natural  home  of  the  striker,  and  the  repeater  at 
elections,  and  frauds  against  the  sanctity  of  the  ballot 
are  too  often  concocted  within  their  doors. 

The  granting  of  licenses  to  these  way-stations  on 
the  road  to  poverty  and  a  drunkard's  grave,  is  a 
wrong  against  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the 
community.  It  is  an  act  not  guided  by  wisdom  or  a 
proper  regard  for  the  morals  and  well-being  of  the 
people.  A  Government  should  do  all  in  its  power  to 
promote  morality  and  further  that  which  is  of  vital 
import  to  the  nation ;  and  in  this  licensing  of  saloons 
our  laws  have  but  opened  the  way  to  every  kind  ol 
immorality  and  crime. 

It  is  also  the  duty  of  a  Government  to  protect  the 
weak  and  remove  as  far  as  possible  all  temptations 
from  the  people  which  could  encourage  intemperance 
or  any  other  injurious  custom.  For  this  reason,  if  for 
no  other,  it  is  wrong  to  grant  licenses  to  persons  whose 
pecuniary  interest  is  to  pander  to  habits  which  lead 
to  drunkenness.  And  to  legislate  the  wretched  vic- 
tim of  such  a  system  into  jails  along  with  criminals 
and  law-breakers  for  what  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  New  York  has  decided  is  not  a  crime,  is  the 
very  crown  of  this  wrong  to  humanity. 

The  present  system  of  granting  licenses  is  also  an 
evidence  of  legalized  inconsistency.  It  cannot  reform 
the  drunkard.  It  makes  the  selling  of  liquor  lawful, 
while  rendering  both  the  tempter  and  the  tempted  cul- 
prits in  the  eyes  of  the  law.  Looking  at  the  question 


96  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

even  from  a  business  standpoint  we  fail  to  see  wherein 
saloons  are  of  practical  benefit  to  the  people.  The 
amount  of  money  paid  into  the  treasury  for  their 
licenses  cannot  compensate  them  for  the  immense 
sums  spent  in  the  prosecution  of  crimes  that  had  their 
origin  in  these  places.  Therefore  on  no  ground  what- 
soever are  local  authorities  justified  in  granting  saloon 
licenses  for  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors. 

In  advocating  the  suppression  of  saloons  we  wish 
it  distinctly  understood  that  this  does  not  include  the 
prohibition  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  spirituous 
beverages  of  any  kind.  These  industries  should  be 
free^under  proper  governmental  regulations.  Our  ob- 
ject is  to  prevent  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  and 
fortified  wines  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises  where 
they  are  sold. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


REMEDIES  SUGGESTED  FOR  INTEMPERANCE. 

IN  proposing  remedies  for  the  esoteric  causes  of  in- 
temperance we  direct  special  attention  to  the  fact  that 
breeders  of  horses  and  other  animals  take  an  infinite 
amount  of  pains  to  observe  and  carry  out  the  law  of 
heredity.  It  is  lamentable  that  equal  judgment  and 
foresight  are  not  used  in  propagating  the  human 
species,  which  is  certainly  a  matter  of  far  graver  conse- 
quence to  mankind.  A  man  may  be  excused  for  being 
indifferent  to  the  quality  of  colts  and  lambs  that  he 
raises,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  overlook  a  thoughtless- 
ness as  to  the  kind  of  children  he  brings  into  the 
world. 

A  practical  application  of  this  law  on  behalf  of 
human  beings  would  be  an  immense  factor  in  the 
ultimate  progress  of  the  race.  Its  effect  would  be 
evident  in  a  single  generation,  and  its  persistence 
through  succeeding  ones  would  be  productive  of  in- 
calculable improvement  to  man.  His  instincts  would 
become  simpler  and  purer,  and  his  appetites  be  subor- 
dinate to  his  spiritual  perception.  So  many  excellent 
works  are  devoted  to  the  elucidation  of  this  subject 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  do  more  in  these  pages  than 
to  impress  upon  the  reader  the  importance  of  making 
a  thorough  research  into  hereditary  influences. 
7  (97) 


98  TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

"  The  man  is  ignorant  of  law  who  gives 
Being  to  offspring,  cursed,  before  their  birth, 
With  passions  that  destroy  their  future  peace, 
And  make  the  stately  fabric  of  the  soul 
A  dungeon  of  impure  depravities." 

A  man  or  woman  who  is  addicted  to  habits  of 
inebriety  is  unfitted  to  become  a  parent,  and  if  off- 
spring be  born  of  such  they  are  almost  inevitably  af- 
flicted with  an  insatiate  longing  for  some  kind  of  stim- 
ulant. Sad  indeed  is  the  case  where  a  father  or 
mother  is  responsible  for  a  life-long  misery  to  a  child ! 
It  is  not  in  human  nature  for  the  latter  to  regard  with 
perfect  filial  love  and  respect  the  author  of  a  heredi- 
tary vice  in  himself,  and  his  seeming  ingratitude  is 
based  on  a  just  appreciation  of  what  he  realizes  has 
been  defrauded  him  by  birth. 

There  is  probably  no  more  effective  cure  for  intem- 
perance than  the  adoption  of  a  strictly  vegetarian  diet. 
It  is  a  natural  law  that  the  human  system  craves  most 
that  which  it  feeds  upon.  The  man  \vho  lives  prin- 
cipally on  animal  flesh  is  not  equally  satisfied  with 
other  kinds  of  food,  because  the  tissues  of  his  body 
are  composed  of  that  material;  while  to  the  vegetarian 
such  a  diet  would  be  distasteful  or  positively  obnoxious. 

Animal  foods,  particularly  those  which  are  called 
red  meats,  such  as  beef,  mutton  and  pork,  are  very 
stimulating,  whereas  cereals,  fruits  and  vegetables  are 
not  at  all  so.  There  is  an  intimate  relationship  be- 
tween both  solid  and  fluid  stimulants.  Persons  ad- 
dicted to  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  are  almost  invariably 
lovers  of  rich  foods,  and  the  ranks  of  the  inebriate  are 


REMEDIES  FOR  INTEMPERANCE.  99 

generally  supplied  from  high  livers.  J*L  vegetarian  is 
seldom,  if  ever,  given  to  intoxicants. 

If  a  vegetable  diet  be  adopted  for  a  sufficient 
length  of  time,  the  old  tissue  of  the  body  will  be 
eliminated,  and  new  tissue  will  be  evolved  from  the 
non-stimulating  foods  to  take  its  place ;  the  desire  for 
liquor  will  gradually  decrease  with  this  change  of 
tissue. 

Physicians  should  teach  people  that  the  effect  of  a 
stimulant  is  always  evanescent  and  usually  leaves  an 
increased  longing  for  its  repetition ;  that  the  continu- 
ance of  such  use  must  terminate  in  a  lessening  of  vital 
power,  in  a  deadening  of  the  finer  attributes  of  our 
nature,  and  a  general  tendency  to  grossness,  with  a 
slow  but  positive  overthrow  of  spiritual  insight  and 
power. 

A  man  is  always  cleaner,  purer,  manlier  and  more 
self-possessed  when  absolutely  uninfluenced  by  spiritu- 
ous beverages.  They  unfit  him  for  the  society  of 
ladies,  and  are  a  common  bar  to  domestic  felicity,  for, 
as  a  rule,  women  prefer  the  caresses  of  a  man  whose 
breath  is  untainted  by  liquor. 

The  various  discussions  on  temperance  in  communi- 
ties have  had  the  excellent  result  of  putting  drinking 
habits  in  disfavor  among  the  educated  classes.  It  is 
no  longer  a  joking  matter  to  see  a  man  under  the  in- 
fluence of  liquor,  for  people  have  grown  to  regard 
such  a  sight  as  most  unpleasant  and  pitiable.  No  one 
now  need  fear  being  thought  singular  or  unsocial  if 
he  refuses  to  drink  with  a  friend,  and  a  man  is  uni- 
versally held  in  respect  who  has  the  manhood  to  de- 
clare his  principles  and  live  up  to  them. 


100          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

We  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  a  remedy  for 
the  most  formidable 'of  all  the  sources  of  intemperance 
— the  saloons.  With  regard  to  the  power  of  States 
to  prevent  by  legal  enactments  the  establishing  and 
keeping  of  such  places  of  resort,  we  submit  the  follow- 
ing decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States. 

Justice  Taney  says :  "  If  any  State  deems  the  retail 
and  internal  traffic  in  ardent  spirits  injurious  to  its 
citizens,  and  calculated  to  produce  idleness,  vice  or 
debauchery,  I  see  nothing  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  to  prevent  it  from  regulating,  restrain- 
ing, or  prohibiting  altogether,  if  it  thinks  proper." 

Justice  Catron  further  asserts:  "If  the  State  has 
the  power  of  restraint  by  license  to  any  extent,  she 
has  the  discriminating  power  to  judge  of  its  limits, 
and  may  go  the  length  of  prohibiting  altogether." 
And  other  justices  concur  in  the  opinion  of  Justice 
Grier,  when  he  positively  declares :  "  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  array  the  appalling  statistics  of  misery,  pau- 
perism and  crime  which  have  their  origin  in  the  abuse 
of  ardent  spirits ;  and  to  correct  these  great  evils,  all 
measures  of  restraint  or  prohibition  necessary  to  effect 
that  purpose  are  legitimately  within  the  power  of  the 
State  Government." 

The  question  now  arises,  Would  it  be  a  wise  proced- 
ure to  suddenly  close  these  establishments?  It  is  true 
that  a  majority  of  them  are  disreputable,  but  there 
are  some  that  are  frequented  by  a  thoroughly  respect- 
able class  of  citizens  who  meet  there  for  friendly  asso- 
ciation, and  a  peremptory  shutting  off  of  this  privilege 


REMEDIES  FOR  INTEMPERANCE.  101 

would  evoke  loud  complaints  on  their  part.  The  cus- 
toms of  a  people  cannot  be  abruptly  changed.  Time, 
growth  and  education  are  important  factors  in  a  per- 
manent reformation. 

At  the  same  time  it  would  be  the  height  of  folly  to 
expect  men  to  improve  in  their  drinking  habits  while 
saloons  are  licensed  to  sell  that  which  produces 
drunkenness.  A  great  step  in  the  right  direction 
would  be  to  alter  the  character  of  these  saloon  licenses, 
so  that  they  prohibit  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  and 
fortified  wines,  and  allowing  only  pure  wines,  beer  and 
cider  to  be  sold  by  them.  Although  preferring  the 
total  prohibition  of  saloons  if  it  could  be  effected  with- 
out such  positive  objections  on  the  part  of  the  masses, 
we  think  the  next  best  thing  would  be  this  change  in 
the  general  system  of  liquor  licenses.  Massachusetts 
has  five  distinct  classes ;  the  second,  fourth  and  fifth 
read  as  follows : — 

"  To  grant  licenses  to  sell  malt  liquors,  cider  and 
light  wines  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises. 

"  To  grant  licenses  for  the  sale  of  alcoholic  liquors 
of  all  kinds  not  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises. 

"  To  grant  licenses  to  sell  malt  liquors,  cider  and 
light  wines  not  to  be  drunk  on  the  premises." 

These  licenses,  if  honestly  enforced,  would  result  in 
a  diminution  of  drunkenness  in  a  very  short  space  of 
time.  This  course  could  not  elicit  serious  opposition 
from  either  the  advocates  of  total  abstinence,  or  of 
those  who  practice  moderate  indulgence.  The  latter, 
by  not  being  compelled  to  forego  his  glass,  would  lend 
a  more  willing  adherence  to  the  support  of  any  law 


102          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

that  would  mitigate  the  curse  of  intemperance,  the 
evil  effects  of  which  both  admit. 

The  adoption  of  such  a  system  of  licensing  would 
go  far  to  disarm  the  antagonism  of  the  saloon-keepers 
and  their  supporters,  and  would  aid  in  undermining 
the  powerful  organizations  of  th.e  liquor  dealers.  The 
strength  of  the  latter  is  developed  in  proportion  to  the 
opposition  they  receive.  The  people  generally  would 
not  be  aroused  to  violent  resistance  because  they 
would  be  permitted  to  procure  liquor  when  they 
wished  it,  just  so  they  drank  it  off  the  premises  where 
they  are  sold. 

The  past  thirty  years'  experience  with  our  present 
licensing  system,  proves  its  inefficiency  to  render 
much  assistance  to  the  cause  of  temperance.  It  would 
hardly  seem  wise,  therefore,  to  persist  in  a  course  so 
unproductive  of  permanent  benefit.  The  universality 
of  alcoholic  drinking  among  all  peoples  makes  any 
sudden  change  by  repressive  laws,  an  impossibility. 
We  must  depend  upon  the  slower  but  surer  processes 
of  wise  legislation  that  will  restrict  and  control,  rather 
than  coerce. 

A  man  can  only  attain  his  highest  development  by 
leaving  his  actions  perfectly  untrammeled.  Liberty 
of  choice  should  always  be  open  to  him.  He  cannot 
progress  under  duress.  This  is  in  harmony  with  the 
divine  plan.  His  wrong-doing  is  an  experience  by 
which  he  learns  wisdom  ;  the  events  of  another's  life 
can  never  be  his  guide  to  knowledge.  Therefore, 
great  as  is  the  evil  of  excessive  indulgence  in  alcoholic 
liquors,  they  must  not  be  arbitrarily  withheld  from 
him. 


REMEDIES  FOR  INTEMPERANCE.  103 

The  eliminating  of  whisky  and  other  spirituous 
mixtures  from  the  saloon-keeper's  list  of  supplies, 
would  be  like  extracting  the  poisonous  fangs  from  the 
adder. 

Various  regulations  could  be  adopted  that  would 
assist  in  educating  the  people  to  pay  less  attention  to 
the  mere  act  of  drinking,  and  more  to  the  opportunity 
for  social  converse.  The  ordinary  American  method, 
of  taking  a  drink  standing  before  the  bar  of  a  saloon 
has  not  the  redeeming  social  features  of  the  German 
"  Bier  Garten  "  or  French  "  Cafe."  In  these  attract- 
ive places  you  invite  your  friend  to  a  table  where 
lunch,  or  tobacco  with  pipes,  is  the  customary 
concomitant  of  the  liquor  served,  and  all  are  but 
recognized  additions  to  the  pleasure  of  mutual  com- 
panionship. It  is  certainly  a  far  less  objectionable 
and  more  dignified  manner  of  drinking  than  what  we 
daily  witness  in  .this  country. 

The  keepers  of  saloons  must  be  deterred  from  un- 
derhand practices  to  defraud  the  law,  by  the  strict 
enforcement  of  exemplary  penalties  for  its  violation- 

The  strongest  opposition  to  any  change  in  the 
licensing  system  would  come  from  large  cities  and 
towns;  but  the  population  throughout  the  country 
and  villages  would  outvote  the  cities. 

The  subject  of  local  option  which  we  have  previ- 
ously considered  under  the  operation  of  coercive  laws, 
would  now  be  just  and  equitable  under  the  principle  of 
regulation.  Communities  have  the  right  to  protect 
the  morals  of  the  people,  and  are  justified  in  prohibit 
ng  any  business  which  they  believe  encourages  disso- 


104          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

lute  habits,  just  as  they  would  abate  a  public  nui- 
sance. No  one's  personal  liberty  is  abridged  thereby, 
for  a  man  is  not  debarred  from  purchasing  whatsoever 
liquor  he  wishes,  as  he  would  be  under  total  prohibi- 
tion. 

In  the  new  regime  special  regulations  could  be 
made  for  hotels,  restaurants,  theaters  and  other  places 
of  amusement  and  recreation.  The  first  two  should 
not  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  supplying  their 
guests  with  liquors,,  to  be  sold  in  bottles  and  sent  to 
their  own  rooms,  but  bars  should  be  prohibited. 
What  constitutes  a  hotel  or  a  restaurant  should  be 
clearly  defined,  so  as  not  to  include  lodging-houses  in 
rights  that  would  constantly  lead  to  violation. 

Theaters  and  other  places  of  a  similar  character 
where  it  is  customary  to  furnish  members  of  the  audi- 
ence with  liquor  during  the  performance  on  the  stage 
should  not  be  prohibited  from  continuing  the  custom, 
only  confining  the  drinks  to  light  wines,  beer,  etc. 

Suburban  parks,  and  other  places  of  public  resort, 
where  rifle-shooting  and  various  amusements  are  en- 
joyed, should  have  like  regulations. 

Club-houses  ought  to  be  regarded  as  having  equal 
rights  with  a  private  residence  and  so  be  exempt  from 
any  interference  with  their  rules.  Public  dinners 
and  social  entertainments  should  not  be  debarred  from 
any  privilege  enjoyed  by  the  individual. 

Other  exceptions  to  the  general  observance  of  liquor 
regulations  may  arise,  which  will  require  special  ordi- 
nances as  time  develops  them.  Temperance  coffee- 
houses and  places  of  amusement  would  be  a  great  as- 


REMEDIES  FOR  INTEMPERANCE.  105 

sistance  to  the  eradication  of  drinking  habits.  It  is 
impossible  to  specify  the  minutiae  concerned  in  the 
practical  application  of  this  proposed  revision  of  the 
license  law.  Our  position  here  must  be  suggestive 
rather  than  assertive.  We  would,  however,  emphasize 
the  necessity  of  utterly  excluding  the  element  of  coer- 
cion from  this  or  any  other  reformation. 

We  leave  to  wiser  heads  than  ours  the  formulating 
of  suitable  plans  under  the  new  dispensation  for  the 
gradual  changing  of  intemperate  customs  and  habits 
among  the  people,  only  stipulating  that  no  member 
of  the  commonwealth  be  deprived  of  a  single  personal 
right  or  privilege. 

In  conclusion,  we  urge  the  importance  of  cultivating 
all  the  amenities  of  life  which  will  directly  or  indi- 
rectly encourage  an  abhorrence  of  intoxicants.  No 
opportunitv  should  be  lost  of  impressing  upon  the 
tender  minds  of  the  young  the  utter  beastliness  of 
drunkenness.  A  child  should  be  taught  to  regard 
with  horror  anything  that  could  even  for  a  moment 
rob  him  of  his  self-control. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE   ADVANTAGES  OF  AN    INCREASED   PRODUC- 
TION   OF   WINE   AND   BEER. 

IN  previous  chapters  in  this  work  we  have  shown 
that  in  all  European  countries  where  wine  is  the 
common  drink  of  the  masses,  intoxication  was  of  in- 
frequent occurrence  until  the  wine  crop  fell  short  and 
adulterations  were  resorted  to  by  the  manufacturers. 
These  spurious  compounds  were  principally  made 
from  corn  and  potato  spirits,  which,  from  their  poison- 
ous properties,  created  an  unnatural  craving  for  stimu- 
lants in  those  persons  who  drank  them.  Drunken- 
ness now  became  common,  and  from  these  facts  we 
must  reason  that  if  pure  wines  were  again  placed 
on  the  market,  and  adulteration  were  made  a  crime 
punishable  by  law  in  every  country,  the  people 
would  be  led  to  use  more  wine,  which  means  less 
whisky  and  brandy,  and  consequently  less  intoxica- 
tion. 

No  valid  objection  can  be  raised  against  the  mod- 
erate drinking  of  pure  wine  any  more  than  the  eat- 
ing of  stimulating  foods,  like  roast  beef,  eggs,  etc. 
It  is  the  excess  of  such  use  that  should  be  avoided  as 
being  both  gluttonous  and  harmful. 

The  enormous  production  of  wine  in  European 
countries  demonstrates  its  extensive  use  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  and  its  vast  importance  as  an 
(106) 


INCREASED  PRODUCTION  OF  WINE.        107 

industry.  The  vineyards  in  some  districts  extend 
over  immense  areas  of  land,  giving  employment  to 
thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children.  Millions 
of  capital  are  invested  in  the  wine  manufacture,  thus 
furnishing  work  for  thousands  more.  In  compre- 
hending the  extent  of  the  almost  limitless  interests  at 
stake  in  the  carrying  on  of  the  various  branches  of 
labor  connected  with  grape  culture,  wine-making,  and 
wine  traffic  in  general,  we  can  see  how  useless  would 
be  the  attempt  to  exterminate  it.  Coercive  laws 
could  not  crush  these  interests  nor  do  much  to  change 
the  habits  of  the  millions  of  people  who  drink  wine. 
The  wisest  course  would  be  to  give  them  pure  wine 
instead  of  the  poisonous  adulterations  now  sold  for 
such. 

The  climate  of  California  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  grape.  In  1862  there  was 
considerable  excitement  about  the  vineyard  possibili- 
ties of  this  State,  and  many  varieties  of  grapes  were 
planted,  but  were  uprooted  some  ten  years  later  and 
fruit  trees  substituted.  Seven  years  ago  there  was  a 
revival  of  grape  culture  in  California,  which  was 
carefully  fostered  by  the  new  State  Board  of  Viti- 
culture. At  that  time  there  were  only  thirty-five 
thousand  acres  of  vines  in  the  entire  State,  eighty 
per  cent  of  which  were  of  poor  quality.  To-day 
there  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres, 
ninety  per  cent  of  which  are  foreign  varieties  of  wine, 
table  and  raisin  grapes,  making  an  investment  of 
over  $65,000,000. 

It  is  not  an  exaggeration,  therefore,  to  assert  that 


108          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

not  many  years  will  elapse  before  California's  vine 
interests  will  outrank  those  of  any  other  country  on 
the  globe,  and  her  people  will  be  given  a  permanent 
and  remunerative  source  of  employment.  The  ear- 
lier ripening  of  the  grape  on  this  coast  opens  an  al- 
most unlimited  market  for  this  fruit  in  the  Eastern 
States.  The  remaining  quantities  not  used  by  home 
consumption,  or  the  making  of  raisins,  will  be  turned 
into  our  wine  presses,  thus  furnishing  vast  revenues 
to  our  people. 

In  the  cultivation  of  the  vines  and  the  gathering  of 
the  grapes,  men,  women  and  children  would  be  given 
light  and  healthful  employment.  Machinists,  coop- 
ers, bottle-makers,  in  fact  all  the  employes  in  branches 
of  labor  connected  with  this  industry,  would  receive 
an  impetus  that  would  give  new  life  to  trade,  com- 
merce and  civilization. 

Instead  of  thousands  of  acres  being  devoted  to  vine- 
yards, hundreds  of  thousands  will  be  thus  utilized  in 
the  near  future,  bringing  comparative  wealth  to  num- 
berless homes  throughout  our  hills  and  valleys.  This 
ease  from  delving  toil  will  be  followed  by  an  inevit- 
able increase  of  wealth,  intellectual  culture,  refine- 
ment of  tastes  and  manners,  more  elegant  private 
structures,  art  galleries,  museums,  churches,  theaters, 
baths,  etc.,  that  are  the  natural  outcome  of  an  aes- 
thetic and  prosperous  people.  Schiller  believed  that 
man  would  be  regenerated  through  the  influence  of 
the  beautiful. 

Under  the  principles  of  this  great  republic  the 
masses  will  rise  with  this  wave  of  fortune,  and  Cali" 


INCREASED  PRODUCTION  OF  WINE.        109 

fornia  will  enjoy  an  era  far  more  brilliant  and  sub- 
stantial than  the  famous  golden  one  of  forty-nine. 

To  effect  such  grand  results  the  most  stringent  laws 
should  be  enforced  to  prevent  the  decoction  of  poison- 
ous liquors  to  be  sold  as  wine.  Then  whisky  will 
no  longer  be  the  national  drink.  Its  slaves  will 
cease  to  exist,  for  this  now  mighty  monarch  will  be 
forever  dethroned  by  the  joyous  god  of  pure  wine. 
All  internal  revenue  tax  should  be  removed  from  the 
latter  and  every  facility  given  for  its  cheap  manufact- 
ure and  sale. 

In  a  letter  from  the  Mayor  of  Jerez  de  la  Frontera, 
the  capital  of  the  sherry  district,  to  the  American 
Consul  at  Cadiz,  the  following  pertinent  statement  is 
made : — 

"  The  condition  of  the  wine  market  is  deplorable. 
Purchases  of  real  sherry  are  now  very  seldom  made. 
The  conditions  of  the  industry  have  wholly  changed, 
and  the  vineyards  which  represent  so  much  capital, 
have  now  little  value.  More  wine  is  exported  as 
sherry  than  the  whole  district  produces,  while  the 
legitimate  product  has  no  sale.  The  importation  of 
German  alcohol  into  Cadiz  for  the  production  of  this 
spurious  sherry  is  increasing  steadily.  Distilled 
chiefly  from  the  beet  and  potato,  it  is  inferior  to 
Spanish  alcohol,  and  has  driven  the  latter  and  all 
other  alcohols  out  of  the  Spanish  market." 

It  is  known  that  similar  adulterations  to  those  in 
Spain  are  carried  on  in  all  other  wine  countries  in 
Europe,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  intem- 
perance is  more  prevalent  among  these  people  than 


110          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

formerly.  No  action  would  be  more  effective  in  de- 
stroying this  culpable  business  than  the  production  of 
pure  wines  brought  within  the  means  of  the  masses  by 
the  removal  of  all  burdens  of  taxation  from  its  manu- 
facture. A  healthful  article  could  be  made  here  and 
sold  at  lower  rates  than  it  would  be  possible  to  pro- 
cure adulterated  compounds  from  Europe  with  the 
cost  of  transportation  added. 

Arpad  Haraszthy,  President  of  the  State  Board  of 
Viticultural  Commissioners,  read  a  paper  entitled, 
"  How  to  Drink  Wine."  "  Wine,"  he  said,  "should  never 
be  drunk  except  at  table,  and  then  only  in  moderate 
quantities.  The  character  of  the  food  should  also 
harmonize  with  the  wine  used.  Then,  again,  personal 
disposition  should  be  studied  in  the  matter.  A  person 
of  a  phlegmatic  disposition  should  drink  white  wines, 
which  promote  both  physical  and  mental  activity. 
People  of  nervous  and  excitable  temperaments  should 
confine  themselves  to  clarets  and  red  wines,  which  are 
slow  to  affect  the  nervous  system,  and  tend  to  soothe 
both  body  and  mind.  People  with  a  superabundance 
of  blood  should  carefully  avoid  red  and  fortified 
wines." 

The  San  Francisco  Chronicle  of  April  18,  1887, 
says :  "  Charles  Kohler,  the  pioneer  of  viticulture  in 
California,  who  died  suddenly  of  apoplexy  yesterday, 
was  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance.  He  pointed 
with  pride  to  the  fact  that  drunkenness  is  a  crime  al- 
most unknown  in  wine-growing  countries,  and  he 
looked  forward  with  confidence  to  the  moral  and  so- 
cial advantages  which  would  follow  when  California's 


INCREASED  PRODUCTION  OF  WINE.        Ill 

pure  wines  shall  have  performed  their  mission  of 
crowding  out  strong,  spirituous  liquors  in  general." 

Although  it  is  commonly  admitted  that  "the  drink- 
ing of  beer,  porter,  etc.,  has  not  the  same  refining  in- 
fluence as  is  accredited  to  wine,  yet  they  are  far  less 
injurious  than  spirituous  mixtures.  Pure  malt  liquors, 
from  the  small  amount  of  alcohol  they  contain,  can 
hardly  be  esteemed  inimical  to  sobriety.  If  unadul- 
terated, they  should  be  placed  in  the  same  category  as 
pure  wines,  and  be  subject  to  like  regulations.  An 
English  journal  says:  "Were  the  brewing  trade  com- 
pletely free,  that  is,  every  vestige  of  the  licensing  sys- 
tem abolished,  there  would  be  the  same  keen  compe- 
tition in  this  business  that  there  is  in  other  depart- 
ments of  industry ;  and  it  would  be  quite  as  impossi- 
ble for  the  brewers  to  maintain  their  prices  at  a  forced 
elevation  as  it  is  for  the  bakers  and  butchers  to  arti- 
ficially enhance  the  price  of  bread  and  beef."  And 
Mr.  Cobden,  the  promoter  of  the  abolition  of  the  corn 
laws  in  England  in  1864,  declares  that  the  case  of  the 
British  agriculturalist,  who,  "  after  raising  a  bushel  of 
barley,  is  compelled  to  pay  a  tax  of  sixty  per  cent  be- 
fore he  is  permitted  to  convert  it  into  a  beverage  for 
his  own  consumption,  is  an  injustice  that  would  never 
be  tolerated  by  cultivators  of  olives  and  grapes  in 
France  and  Italy." 

The  price  of  beer  is  thus  greatly  increased,  not  only 
by  the  duties,  but  also  by  the  vexatious  and  endless 
restrictions  laid  on  its  preparation  and  sale.  This  en- 
hanced price  leads  to  the  consumption  of  gin  and  other 
spirituous  liquors,  that  are  much  worse  in  their  conse- 
quences." 


112          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

The  German  Government,  knowing  that  malt  liquors 
were  the  habitual  beverage  used  by  the  people,  nurt- 
ured the  growth  and  the  manufacture  of  beer.  The  re- 
sult is,  that  the  Germans  as  a  nation  are  temperate, 
industrious  and  contented,  and  in  no  other  country  is 
drunkenness  less  prevalent.  Public  sentiment  there 
is  intolerant  of  this  vice. 

The  brewing  interests  in  America  have  attained  a 
magnitude  and  power  equally  dangerous  with  those  of 
distilled  liquors.  Take  away  the  internal  revenue  tax 
on  both,  and  you  virtually  annihilate  the  liquor  rings. 
There  could  not  possibly  be  trusts  or  monopolies  under 
free  brewing  and  distilling. 

Governments  cannot  more  effectually  discharge 
their  duties  than  by  a  careful  investigation  of  this  sub- 
ject, for  on  the  proper  regulation  of  liquor  laws  the 
success  of  the  cause  of  temperance  largely  depends. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


ALCOHOL  AS  A  FACTOR  IN    HUMAN    PROGRESS. 

WHEN  we  consider  the  vast  number  of  substances 
disseminated  throughout  every  clime  from  which  al- 
cohol can  be  subtracted,  the  conclusion  is  inevitable 
that  the  Creator  intended  it  for  wise  and  useful  pur- 
poses in  the  progress  and  elevation  of  man.  Every- 
thing in  nature  is  adapted  to  his  use,  whether  in  its 
natural  state  or  in  the  various  commodities  manufact- 
ured under  his  intelligent  supervision.  All  the  laws 
of  the  universe,  when  properly  understood,  are  seen  to 
be  beneficently  ministering  to  the  physical,  intellect- 
ual and  spiritual  grr>wt*l  of  food's  chief  handiwork^ 
man.  Alcohol  cannot  be  an  exception,  for  it  is  of  im- 
mense advantage  to  the  human  race,  though  esteemed 
a  curse  by  many  who  have  not  a  proper  conception  of 
its  utility. 

It  is  a  matter  of  interest  and  profit  to  study  the 
multitudinous  uses  to  which  this  spirit  is  applied,  and 
learn  its  absolute  necessity  in  the  material  advance- 
ment of  the  arts,  sciences  and  industries  of  a  civilized 
people.  In  the  laboratory  of  the  chemist,  alcohol  is 
one  of  the  most  essential  articles.  Asa  heat-producer, 
a  re-agent  and  a  solvent  of  numerous  substances,  it  is 
indispensable  in  his  experiments. 

With  the  pharmaceutist  it  is  a  necessary  and  ex- 
pensive  ingredient  in  his  preparations  of  medicinal 
8  (113) 


114          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

tinctures  and  compounds ;  and  the  physician  finds  it 
impossible  without  alcohol  to  preserve  morbid  speci- 
mens taken  from  the  living  or  the  deceased  body.  In 
the  manufacture  of  a  majority  of  patent  medicines  it  is 
the  most  costly  material  employed,  some  establish- 
ments demanding  as  high  as  50,000  gallons  of  alcohol 
yearly  in  making  a  single  article. 

Painters  use  thousands  of  gallons  annually  in  their 
work,  especially  in  the  production  of  varnish,  as  it  is 
a  ready  solvent  of  the  resinous  substances  of  which 
this  finish  is  composed.  Alcohol  is  a  necessity  in  pre- 
paring certain  favorite  dyes,  and  hat  manufacturers 
require  large  quantities  for  the  dissolving  of  the  gums 
by  which  the  bodies  of  silk  hats  are  stiffened  for  the 
outside  covering.  It  is  in  great  demand  in  the  manu- 
facture of  perfumeries,  and  in  the  preparation  of  anaes- 
thetics such  as  chloroform  and  various  ethers,  in  which 
it  is  the  principal  ingredient.  For  domestic  purposes 
it  has  been  found  a  convenient  generator  of  heat.  In 
fact,  so  general  is  the  utility  of  this  spirit  that  its  use 
can  hardly  be  overestimated. 

In  the  distillation  of  alcohol  what  is  called  proof 
spirit  is  a  mixture  of  fifty  per  cent  of  alcohol  with  an 
equal  proportion  of  water  by  weight.  This  is  the 
spirit  from  which  whisky  is  manufactured,  and  on 
which  a  tax  of  ninety  cents  a  gallon  is  paid.  The 
cost  to  the  manufacturer  is  about  twenty  cents  a  gal- 
lon and  the  tax  added  brings  it  up  to  $1.10.  It  takes 
nearly  two  gallons  of  proof  spirit  to  make  one  of  com- 
mercial alcohol,  which  contains  nearly  ninety  per  cent 
of  alcohol  and  ten  per  cent  of  water,  and  therefore  has 


ALCOHOL  IN  HUMAN  PROGRESS.          115 

a  tax  nearly  double  that  put  upon  proof  spirit.  This 
would  bring  the  cost  of  alcohol  to  the  distiller  to  about 
$2.20  a  gallon,  whereas  the  price  less  the  tax  would 
actually  be  about  forty  cents. 

The  income  derived  by  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment from  this  tax  of  ninety  cents  a  gallon  averages 
annually  about  $60,000,000.  It  is  estimated  that 
only  about  half  of  this  proof  spirit  is  made  into  whisky, 
the  other  half  being  converted  into  commercial  alco- 
hol, which  is  consumed  in  the  arts,  sciences  and  va- 
rious industries  above  stated.  Thus  $30,000,000  is 
paid  to  the  Government  every  year  by  the  people  for 
the  privilege  of  drinking  whisky,  and  $30,000,000  ad- 
ditional tax  is  paid  by  them  in  articles  they  purchase, 
which  require  alcohol  in  their  composition  or  manu- 
facture. 

It  must  be  that  this  matter  has  never  been,  properly 
presented  to  the  people ;  that  they  do  not  comprehend 
its  direct  import,  or  such  a  monstrous  injustice  could 
not  have  existed  so  long. 

During  the  war,  and  for  some  years  afterwards,  it 
is  easy  to  understand  that  there  was  a  necessity  for 
such  taxation,  but  at  the  present  time,  with  an  over- 
flowing treasury,  steps  should  be  taken  for  its  imme- 
diate removal.  It  is  a  very  suggestive  fact  that  dis- 
tillers do  not  desire  the  removal  of  this  tax;  they  well 
know  that  it  would  destroy  the  monopoly  which  they 
now  have  in  the  liquor  traffic.  Thus  it  is  that  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  United  States  is  taxed 
— for  what?  Mainly  to  increase  the  cost  of  liquors,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  preventing  a  few  miserable  drunk- 


116          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

ards  from  overindulgence.  Is  such  an  impost  just  to 
the  people,  or  is  it  statesmanlike  in  our  lawgivers  to 
continue  it  on  our  statute  books  ? 

It  is  a  recognized  law  of  trade  that  the  cheapening  of 
an  article  increases  its  sale.  Generally  speaking  this  is' 
true,  and  it  is  a  common  argument  that  the  abolition 
of  the  tax  would  reduce  the  price  of  liquor  to  the  ex- 
tent of  encouraging  drunkenness.  Whisky,  however, 
seems  to  be  an  exception  to  this  law,  for  the  reason 
that  inordinate  desire  on  the  part  of  the  individual 
forces  him  to  obtain  it,  no  matter  what  it  costs.  As 
an  elucidation  of  this  fact  we  quote  from  an  article 
published  some  months  ago  in  the  San  Francisco 
Chronicle,  which  had  the  following  excerpt  from  a  re- 
port made  to  Congress  about  the  year  1869,  by  the 
well-known  statistician,  David  A.  Wells,  on  the  pro- 
priety of  reducing  the  tax  on  distilled  spirits : — 

"  Everyone  knows  that  the  appetite  for  alcoholic 
drinks  is  not  restrained  by  the  question  of  their  cost, 
and  that  consequently  cheap  whisky  would  be  no 
more  hostile  to  prohibition  than  dear  whisky; 
whereas  expensive  alcohol  must  necessarily  restrict  in 
a  great  degree  those  products  of  which  it  is  an  essen- 
tial element.  We  are  a  great  deal  more  apt  to  econ- 
omize in  our  necessities  than  in  our  luxuries ;  it  is 
human  nature  to  do  without  the  things  we  need  in 
order  that  we  may  have  the  things  we  want.  For 
this  reason,  prohibition  cuts  no  figure  in  this  sort  of 
discussion." 

In  the  same  article  we  find  the  following  relevant 
opinion  of  Charles  Heber  dark : — 


ALCOHOL  IN  HUMAN  PROGRESS.          117 

"  Total  extinction  of  the  whisky  tax,"  he  argues, 
u  would  not  reduce  the  price  of  whisky  at  retail  and 
would  not  make  one  more  drunkard.  Doubling  the 
whisky  tax  would  not  increase  the  retail  price  and 
would  not  keep  a  single  tippler  sober.  The  English 
Government  taxes  liquors  so  heavily  that  it  depends 
upon  them  for  one-fourth  of  its  entire  revenue,  and  it 
is  admitted  by  intelligent  observers  that  there  is  more 
drunkenness  in  England  than  in  any  other  civilized 
country  on  the  globe.  The  whisky  distillers  of  this 
country,  who  surely  have  no  motive  for  desiring  de- 
creased consumption,  are  unanimous  in  opposition  to 
the  removal  of  the  tax.  The  tax  upon  distilled  spirits 
is  not  a  special  tax  upon  whisky-drinkers  and  saloon- 
keepers; but  it  is  a  direct  tax  upon  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  country,  drunk  or  sober.  The  fact  is  kept 
in  the  background  that  alcohol  made  from  distilled 
spirits  is  an  essential  and  important  branch  of  Ameri- 
can industry. 

"  The  people  pay  this  tax  when  they  buy  the  prod- 
ucts of  a  number  of  industries.  They  pay  it  when 
they  use  perfumery,  when  they  take  chloroform,  and 
when  they  consume  drugs.  The  suffering  poor  man 
pays  it  when  he  goes  to  the  apothecary  to  cure  him- 
self of  the  cold  caught  by  his  exclusion  from  the  privi- 
lege of  enfolding  himself  in  a  British  blanket.  He 
pays  it  when  he  puts  bay-rum  on  his  hair,  when  he 
buys  cologne  for  his  wife's  handkerchief,  and  when  he 
lays  in  paregoric  for  his  baby.  It  covers  his  head 
when  he  puts  on  an  American  hat.  He  sits  on  it  when 
he  drops  into  an  American  varnished  chair.  The 


118          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

tax  is  on  honest  and  decent  industry,  and  that  is  a 
good  reason  why  it  should  be  taken  off.  The  at- 
tempt to  use  the  sentiment  for  temperance  in  an  effort 
to  help  the  distillers  to  have  the  tax  retained  is  an 
affront  to  public  intelligence." 

The  cost  of  commercial  alcohol  to  the  consumer  at 
the  present  time  is  about  $2.50  a  gallon ;  subtract  the 
tax,  and  it  could  be  sold  at  from  sixty  to  seventy-five 
cents  a  gallon.  Now,  supposing  this  tax  removed, 
what  would  be  the  result  ?  It  would  have  the  general 
effect  of  cheapening  every  article  whose  production 
depends  upon  this  spirit.  To  the  professor  of  chem- 
istry this  reduction  would  be  a  great  boon,  enabling 
him  to  experiment  more  freely  in  the  interest  of  science 
than  he  could  possibly  do  with  alcohol  at  its  present 
figure.  It  would  be  a  considerable  aid  also  to  the 
poor  student  in  his  efforts  to  master  this  wonderful 
science,  and  the  benefit  that  would  accrue  to  the  phar- 
maceutist in  his  preparations  of  tinctures,  etc.,  and  doc- 
tor's prescriptions,  can  hardly  be  appreciated. 

The  abolition  of  this  tax  would  reduce  the  cost  of 
patent  medicines  to  a  minimum;  and  when  we  con- 
sider the  enormous  consumption  of  these  compounds 
in  America  alone,  we  can  form  some  conception  of  the 
immense  saving  this  cheapening  would  be  to  the  peo- 
ple. Then,  again,  such  a  step  would  be  a  direct  in- 
centive to  the  universal  progress  of  the  arts,  so  less- 
ening the  price  of  their  products  as  to  place  them 
within  easy  reach  of  many  more  purchasers.  Painters 
are  large  consumers  of  alcohol,  and  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  varnish  alone,  the  saving  in  the  cost  of  this 


ALCOHOL  IN  HUMAN  PROGRESS.          119 

article  would  enable  them  to  work  profitably  at  greatly 
reduced  rates,  thus  insuring  an  increased  patronage. 

The  employment  of  anaesthetics  in  which  alcohol 
is  the  principal  ingredient,  has  become  so  extensive 
that  a  reduction  of  their  price  would  be  a  saving  to 
both  physician  and  patient. 

In  the  making  of  perfumery,  especially  cologne, 
the  cheapening  of  alcohol  will  put  these  delightful 
compounds  in  the  possession  of  a  much  larger  propor- 
tion of  our  population  than  can  possibly  afford  them 
at  their  present  cost.  Their  extensive  use  would  be  no 
insignificant  factor  in  the  cultivation  of  more  esthetic 
tastes  and  habits. 

Lessening  the  price  of  an  article  not  only  increases 
its  consumption,  but  as  a  consequence  its  manufacture 
must  also  be  stimulated ;  thus  thousands  of  working 
men  and  women  would  be  given  employment  and 
thereby  insured  the  comforts  of  life. 

The  extra  amount  of  money  put  in  circulation  by 
this  activity  in  certain  industries  would  greatly  en- 
courage both  local  and  general  trade.  Not  only  this, 
but  indirectly  all  business  interests  would  feel  the  im- 
petus, for  trades  of  every  kind  are  so  cemented  that 
each  is  affected  more  or  less  by  activity  or  depression 
in  any  prominent  one. 

Then  again  the  increased  production  of  alcohol  to 
meet  the  demand  would  necessitate  more  grain  for 
its  manufacture,  which  would  be  a  direct  advantage 
to  the  farmer.  As  a  consequence  it  would  bring  into 
cultivation  thousands  of  acres  of  land  that  are  now 
unvexed  by  the  plow,  with  a  probable  enhancement  of 


120          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

the  price  of  grain ;  thus,  in  divers  ways,  augmenting 
the  prosperity  of  "the  people,  and  surrounding  them 
with  all  the  corollaries  that  wealth  can  supply. 

In  addition  to  the  reasons  before  stated  for  abolish- 
ing the  revenue  tax  such  a  step  would  do  away  with 
illicit  distillation  and  thus  eliminate  from  the  commu- 
nity a  large  number  of  law-breakers  that  are  a  con- 
stant annoyance  to  the  people  surrounding  the  stills. 
It  would  also  undermine  whisky  rings,  as  before 
said,  which  are  an  unmitigated  disgrace  *to  the  coun- 
try. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


TO   PROHIBITIONISTS. 

THE  liquor  problem  and  the  temperance  question 
have  engaged  the  attention  of  statesmen  for  centuries 
past,  but  more  especially  have  they  been  agitated  in 
the  last  fifty  years.  Every  plan  of  specific  licensing 
and  prohibition  that  human  intellect  could  formulate, 
has  been  successively  tried  to  regulate  the  traffic  and 
stem  the  torrent  of  intemperance.  The  failure  of 
each  in  turn  proves  some  inherent  defect  to  exist  in 
these  various  methods.  A  law  based  on  justice  and 
equity  is  far  more  apt  to  meet  the  approval  of  the  peo- 
ple than  one  which  wholly  or  partially  ignores  these 
principles ;  and  that  the  present  licensing  system  and 
prohibitory  laws  are  not  ftfunded  on  justice  and  equity, 
we  trust  we  have  made  plain  in  preceding  chapters. 

To  establish  a  right  conception  of  our  subject,  and 
to  remove  erroneous  impressions,  we  have  devoted  a 
portion  of  this  work  to  the  history  of  fermented  and 
spirituous  liquors,  their  physiological,  therapeutic  and 
,toxicological  action  on  the  human  system,  their  use 
and  abuse,  the  many  purposes  for  which  alcohol  is 
a  necessity,  the  universality  of  alcoholic  beverages, 
and  the  fact  that  intemperance  in  all  nations  is  coeval 
with  their  manufacture. 

It  is  a  matter  of  importance  that  should  be  noted 
by  prohibitionists  that  intemperance  has  become  a 

(121) 


122          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

national  curse  in  great  Britain  and  America,  where 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  have  been  made  to  prevent 
it,  whereas  in  European  countries  there  are  no  li- 
cense or  prohibitory  laws;  and  yet  there  is  compara- 
tively little  drunkenness  among  the  people. 

Repressive  laws  have  now  been  in  operation  in  this 
country  for  over  thirty  years,  without  appreciably 
abating  the  great  evil.  In  summing  up  their  practi- 
cal results  we  find  that  they  have  aroused  the  bitterest 
antagonism  among  individuals  and  parties,  been  the 
direct  cause  of  innumerable  evasions  and  deceptions, 
created  law-breakers,  and  generally  educated  the 
masses  in  habits  of  thought  inimical  to  the  consti- 
tuted authorities.  No  law  which  creates  such  disturb- 
ance in  the  mental  atmosphere  of  a  people,  can  be 
productive  of  good. 

Advocates  of  prohibition  not  only  attempt  to  sup- 
press intemperance  by  coercive  laws,  but  also  to  com- 
pel temperate  drinkers  to  become  total  abstainers  by 
prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  all  liquors. 
This  general  inclusion  is  unavoidable  because  the  law 
can  make  no  individual  distinction,  but  its  effect  is 
unfortunately  adverse  to  the  intention  of  its  founders. 

The  man  who  occasionally  takes  a  glass  of  liquor 
is  forced  into  a  position  of  antagonism  to  the  believer* 
in  total  abstinence,  whereas  they  are  in  reality  friends, 
and  would  work  in  harmony  were  it  not  for  the  coer- 
cive measures  above  stated.  It  is  not  wise  to  alienate 
one's  friends  in  any  of  the  relations  of  life.  A  combi- 
nation of  the  forces  of  these  two  opposers  of  drunken- 
ness, would  result  in  a  rapid  advance  of  temperance 


To  PROHIBITIONISTS.  123 

habits  among  the  people.  In  removing  the  cause  of 
their  difference,  you  at  once  command  the  support  of 
the  majority  of  voters  in  every  State  in  the  Union,  for 
most  of  these  men  are  addicted  to  the  use  of  liquor  of 
some  kind. 

To  the  reconciliation  of  these  two  great*enemies  of 
intemperance,  every  philanthropic  mind  should  direct 
its  keenest  energies. 

Is  it  not  time,  therefore,  that  some  other  plan  be 
adopted  which  will  better  harmonize  with  the  love  of 
justice  and  freedom,  deep-rooted  in  the  hearts  of  a 
civilized  nation  ?  A  bad  law  makes  rebellious  citi- 
zens. No  law  at  all  is  better  than  one  which  inter- 
feres with  the  sacredness  of  personal  liberty  by  com- 
pelling a  man  not  to  do  what  cannot  be  regarded  as 
a  wrong  in  itself.  Such  legislation  must  always  fall 
short  of  its  object. 

The  prohibition  party  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  dis- 
integrating element  in  our  politics  of  to-day,  and  in 
the  coming  campaign  much  that  is  relative  to  this 
question  depends  on  the  course  taken  by  them.  In 
no  small  degree  they  hold  the  balance  of  power  be- 
tween the  two  great  political  parties  that  rule  the 
destinies  of  the  country.  Their  responsibility  at  this 
immediate  time,  is  the  gravest  and  most  potential. 

To  stop  the  drinking  habits  of  people  is  not  the 
only  question  which  should  engage  their  attention,  to 
the  exclusion  of  every  other.  It  is  not  a  matter  of 
more  importance  in  a  community  to  legislate  for  the 
drunkard  than  for  the  sober  man.  In  our  zeal  to  re- 
form the  drunkard,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  le- 


124          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

gitirnate  interests  of  tli£  temperate  man.  The  business 
success  of  the  latter  often  requires  large  quantities  of 
alcohol,  and  any  increase  in  its  price  is  of  vital  mo- 
ment to  him.  The  products  of  his  manufactory  sup- 
ply a  definite  want  in  the  community,  or  they  would 
not  meet  so  ready  a  sale.  The  revenue  necessary  for 
the  support  of  the  Government  should  be  collected 
from  those  things  which  are  articles  of  luxury,  as 
much  as  possible  avoiding  the  taxation  of  essential 
products.  Where  an  article  is  used  in  both  capacities 
its  general  character  must  be  determined  before  decid- 
ing whether  it  should  be  taxed  or  not.  As,  for  in- 
stance, the  use  of  opium  as  a  luxury  far  outbalances 
its  employment  medicinally,  and  consequently  its  tax- 
ation is  in  accordance  with  its  principal  demand. 

Distilled  spirits,  in  the  state  in  which  it  leaves  the 
still,  cannot  possibly  be  esteemed  an  article  of  luxury. 
No  one  ever  drinks  pure  alcohol,  and  yet  before  it 
can  undergo  the  various  processes  essential  to  make  it 
into  whisky  it  is  taxed  ninety  cents  on  a  gallon.  Pro- 
hibitionists are  too  apt  to  assume  that  the  greatest  use 
to  which  alcohol  is  put,  is  that  of  a  stealer  of  men's, 
brains,  whereas  the  truth  of  the  matter  is  that  not  one- 
half  of  the  spirits  made  are  employed  in  beverages  at 
all,  the  remainder  being  of  necessity  used  in  the  arts, 
manufactures,  etc.  Some  estimate  may  be  had  of  the 
amount  of  this  taxation  from  the  fact  that  the  chemist 
pays  about  $96  for  a  forty-six-gallon  barrel  of  alcohol, 
which,  without  the  tax,  would  cost  him  $20,  or  there- 
abouts. 

The  removal  of  this  tax  on  distillations  would  lift 


To  PROHIBITIONISTS.  125 

an  enormous  burden  from  many  manufactures  and 
cheapen  the  price  to  the  consumer  of  numerous  arti- 
cles of  utility,  while  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  would  not 
decrease  the  retail  price  of  liquor  to  any  appreciable 
extent.  Under  our  present  system  we  are  taxing  the 
producer  of  articles  of  necessity  for  the  benefit  of  the 
dispenser  of  an  article  of  luxury.  Our  prohibition 
friends  would  do  well  to  remember  this  and  also  the 
fact  that  a  high  revenue  tax  bears  lightly  on  the  sa- 
loon-keeper and  heavily  on  the  scientist  and  artisan, 
who  must  employ  alcohol  in  their  business. 

Then  again,  if  it  were  possible  to  close  up  all  the 
distilleries  in  the  United  States,  whisky  would  still 
be  manufactured.  Illicit  distillation  would  be  secretly 
carried  on  in  the  hills,  mountains  and  obscure  places 
all  over  the  land,  and  no  power  of  the  Government 
could  prevent  it. 

We  have  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter  the  impor- 
tance of  the  wine  industry,  which  is  bound  to  become 
a  source  of  incalculable  wealth,  notwithstanding  all 
opposition.  It  is  impossible  to  legislate  new  habits 
into  the  world.  They  are  the  outgrowth  of  successive 
generations,  and  will  no  doubt  be  inherited,  in  a 
measure,  by  our  posterity  for  hundreds  of  years  to 
come.  That  universal  temperance  will  one  day  be 
achieved  by  our  race,  we  have  every  reason  to  hope 
and  expect.  It  must,  however,  be  effected  by  slow 
processes.  Man,  like  all  other  things  in  nature,  must 
grow  into  perfection.  No  human  law  can  immediately 
eradicate  the  desire  for  liquor  in  a  confirmed  whisky- 
tippler,  for  there  is  no  regenerative  power  in  the  prin- 
ciple of  force. 


126          TEMPERANCE  AND  .PROHIBITION. 

Intelligent  beings  must  have  the  free  exercise  of 
their  faculties  and  proclivities,  even  though  their  tend- 
encies are  not  always  for  the  right.  Evil  can  only 
be  cast  out  by  an  inborn  desire  for  good.  The  prov- 
ince of  a  law  is  not  to  coerce  a  man,  but  to  protect 
society  from  the  wrong-doer. 

While  admitting  the  great  good  that  temperance 
societies,  especially  the  Women's  Christian  Temper- 
ance Union,  have  done,  and  are  doing,  for  the  young, 
we  are  sorry  to  say  their  combined  efforts  have  not 
accomplished  the  reformation  of  the  confirmed  drunk- 
ard. 

The  enormous  amount  of  money  expended  annually 
for  liquor,  and  the  untold  misery  resulting  from  habits 
of  drunkenness,  have  been  persistently  explained  to 
the  people  from  both  the  pulpit  and  rostrum.  Even 
the  eloquent  appeals  of  a  Gough  or  Ingersoll  have  too 
often  fallen  upon  barren  soil  and  borne  little  fruit. 
Probably  the  English  language  does  not  contain  a 
more  graphic  denunciation  of  the  horrors  of  intemper- 
ance than  is  found  in  Mr.  Ingersoll's  address  to  a  jury 
in  a  case  where  the  question  of  alcohol  was  involved. 
We  quote  a  portion  of  it  here:— 

"  I  do  not  believe  that  anybody  can  contemplate 
the  subject  without  becoming  prejudiced  against  the 
liquor  crime.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  think  of  the 
wrecks  on  either  bank  of  the  stream  of  death, — of  the 
suicides,  of  the  insanity,  of  the  poverty,  of  the  igno- 
rance, of  the  destitution  of  the  little  children  tugging 
at  the  faded  and  weary  breasts  of  mothers,  of  weeping 
and  despairing  wives  asking  for  bread,  of  the  talented 


To  PROHIBITIONISTS.  127 

men  of  genius  that  it  has  wrecked,  of  those  struggling 
with  imaginary  serpents,  produced  by  this  devilish 
thing;  when  you  think  of  the  jails,  of  the  almshouses,/ 
of  the  asylums,  of  the  prisons,  of  the  scaffolds  upon* 
either  bank,  I  do  not  wonder  that  every  thoughtful 
man  is  prejudiced  against  this  damned  stuff  that  is 
called  alcohol.  Intemperance  cuts  down  youth  in  its 
vigor,  manhood  in  its  strength,  and  age  in  its  weakness. 
It  breaks  the  father's  heart,  bereaves  the  doting 
mother,  extinguishes  natural  affection,  erases  conjugal 
loves,  blots  out  filial  attachment,  blights  parental 
hope  and  brings  down  mourning  age  in  sorrow  to  the 
grave.  It  produces  weakness,  not  strength ;  sickness, 
not  health ;  death,  not  life.  It  makes  wives,  widows  ; 
children,  orphans ;  fathers,  fiends ;  and  all  of  them 
paupers  and  beggars.  It  feeds  rheumatism,  nurses 
gout,  welcomes  epidemics,  invites  cholera,  imports 
pestilence  and  embraces  consumption.  It  covers  the 
land  with  idleness,  misery  and  crime.  It  fills  your 
jails,  supplies  your  almshouses  and  demands  your 
asylums.  It  engenders  controversies,  fosters  quarrels 
and  cherishes  riots.  It  crowds  your  penitentiaries  I 
and  furnishes  victims  for  your  scaffolds.  It  is  the 
life-blood  of  the  gambler,  the  element  of  the  burglar, 
the  prop  of  the  highwayman  and  the  support  of  the 
midnight  incendiary.  It  countenances  the  liar,  re- 
spects the  thief,  esteems  the  blasphemer  and  honors 
infamy.  It  defames  benevolence,  hates  love,  scorns 
virtue  and  slanders  innocence.  It  incites  the  fathd 
to  butcher  his  helpless  offspring,  helps  the  husband 
to  massacre  his  wife,  and  the  child  to  grind  the  par- 
ricidal ax. 


128          TEMPERANCE  AND  PROHIBITION. 

"  It  burns  up  men,  consumes  women,  detests  life, 
curses  God,  and  despises  Heaven.  It  suborns  wit- 
nesses, nurses  perjury,  defies  the  jury  box  and  stains 
the  judicial  ermine.  It  degrades  the  citizen,  debases 
the  legislator,  dishoners  the  statesman,  and  disarms 
the  patriot.  It  brings  shame,  not  honor ;  terror,  not 
safety ;  despair,  not  hope ;  misery,  not  happiness ;  and 
with  the  malevolence  of  a  fiend,  it  calmly  surveys  its 
frightful  desolation,  and,  unsatisfied  with  its  havoc,  it 
poisons  felicity,  kills  peace,  ruins  morals,  blights  con- 
fidence, slays  reputation,  and  wipes  out  national  honor; 
then  curses  the  world  and  laughs  at  its  ruin.  It 
does  all  that  and  more — it  murders  the  soul.  It  is 
the  son  of  all  villains,  and  the  father  of  all  crimes ; 
the  mother  of  abominations,  the  devil's  best  friend 
and  God's  worst  enemy." 

The  second  plank  in  the  prohibition  platform  must 
meet  the  hearty  approval  of  every  advocate  of  tem- 
perance. We  herewith  insert  it : — 

"  That  the  accursed  liquor  traffic  is  the  gigantic 
'  crime  of  crimes'  of  our  age,  nation,  state  and  country, 
desolating  our  homes,  corrupting  public  morals,  and 
sweeping  millions  of  our  race  into  the  drunkard's 
grave  and  to  the  drunkard's  doom,  and  should  be 
forever  banished  from  the  land  and  from  the  world." 

Such  a  consummation  is  most  earnestly  to  be  de- 
sired, but  we  have  no  faith  in  this  being  effected  by 
the  present  platform  of  the  prohibition  party. 

It  is  not  sufficiently  expansive  for  it  ever  to  become 
a  truly  national  party ;  as  it  now  stands  it  can  be,  at 
best,  but  fractional  and  sporadic.  Its  influence  can 


To  PROHIBITIONISTS.  129 

never  sweep  like  a  tidal  wave  over  the  public  mind 
as  did  that  of  the  Republican  party  in  anti-slavery 
times.  The  secret  of  the  latter's  power  was  that  its 
governing  principle  was  the  grand  one  of  universal 
liberty.  Such  a  battle-cry  gathered  conquering  hosts 
around  its  standard.  The  shibboleth  of  the  prohibi- 
tionist, on  the  contrary,  embraces  the  opposite  mean- 
ing— the  infringement  of  individual  rights  and  the 
subjugation  of  the  whole  people  to  his  autocratic 
will. 

It  has  been  used  as  an  argument  by  prohibitionists 
that  as  chattel  slavery  was  uprooted  by  the  sovereign 
power  of  the  people,  intemperance  could  be  similarly 
destroyed.  This  does  not  follow,  however.  Slavery 
was  upheld  by  an  organized  Government,  and  to  effect 
its  overthrow  and  establish  human  liberty,  it  was  nec- 
essary to  use  force  of  arms.  The  position  of  the  pro- 
hibitionist is  not  a  parallel  one ;  his  object  is  the 
abridgment  of  personal  rights  and  not  the  champion- 
ship of  individual  liberty. 

In  view  of  what  we  have  said  in  the  preceding 
pages,  and  with  the  acknowledgment  that  all  coercive 
laws  for  the  prevention  of  drunkenness  have  been 
failures,  it  would  seem  the  height  of  folly  for  prohibi- 
tionists to  still  continue  in  the  same  course.  Their 
present  system  but  intensifies  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant attributes  in  man's  nature — the  resistance  to  force, 
however  applied. 

We  have  advocated  the  closing  of  saloons ;  we  still 
do  so,  but  doubt  its  policy  at  the  present  time.  This 
course  may  seem  inconsistent  with  a  desire  to  promote 
9 


130          TEMPERANCE  AND  .PEOHIBITION. 

temperance ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  if  the  sale  of  spirit- 
uous liquors  were  prohibited  in  these  places — which 
would  be  perfectly  legitimate — it  would  be  an  im- 
mense step  toward  their  total  suppression.  This  sys- 
tem of  regulation  would  meet  with  the  support  of  the 
better  class  of  citizens,  and  many  a  poor  inebriate, 
also,  would  hail  with  joy  the  removal  of  what,  to  him, 
is  an  ever-present  temptation. 

In  upholding  the  sale  of  alcoholic  liquors  to  be 
drunk  off  the  premises,  in  other  places  than  saloons, 
we  do  so  because  it  is  always  better  for  a  man  to  ob- 
tain his  whisky-  legally — since  he  will  have  it — than 
surreptitiously  in  opposition  to  constituted  law.  In 
legislating  on  this  subject  we  must  recognize  the  act- 
ual drinking  habits  of  the  people  as  they  exist  to-day, 
and  not  make  laws  for  an  ideal  condition  of  society 
that  may  exist  fifty  or  a  hundred  years  hence.  It  is 
useless  to  preach  temperance  to  an  inebriate,  when  at 
the  same  time  you  hold  a  bludgeon  in  your  hand  to 
compel  him  to  do  as  you  wish.  This  is  not  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Creator's  plan,  which  leaves  him  the 
liberty  of  choice  between  good  and  evil  and  endows 
him  with  the  godlike  gift  of  reason  for  his  guide. 

If  prohibitionists  would  dispassionately  weigh  the 
facts  and  conclusions  contained  in  this  work,  we  could 
confidently  hope  that,  under  wise  guidance,  their 
future  efforts  for  the  reformation  of  the  intemperate 
would  be  crowned  with  success.  To  effect  this,  we 
are  convinced  that  they  must  wholly  eliminate  from 
their  policy  the  element  of  coercion,  and,  aided  by 


To  PROHIBITIONISTS.  131 

past  experience,  substitute  the  more  conciliatory  prin- 
ciple of  regulation. 

4  If  thou  wilt  observe 

The  rule  of  not  too  much,  by  temperance  taught, 
In  what  thou  eat'st  and  drink'st,  seeking  from  thence 
Due  nourishment,  not  gluttonous  delight, 
Till  many  years  over  thy  head  return: 
So  may'st  thou  live,  till,  like  lipe  fruit,  thou  drop 
Into  thy  mothei's  lap,  or  be  with  ease 
Gathered,  not  harshly  plucked,  for  death  mature. " 


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